He told Brooklyn Paper that Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate the resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community while paying homage to queer trailblazers like William Dorsey Swann, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Harvey Milk and Cecilia Gentili, noting that their legacy continues to shape the movement and encourage LGBTQIA+ people to keep pushing forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cPride is a chance to celebrate the history of resilience in the community,\u201d Brisport said. \u201cBeing unashamed and unabashed to be who we are, to be out and proud, and to celebrate the historical figures whose shoulders we stand on.\u201d<\/p>\n
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For State Sen. Jabari Brisport, queer visibility is a powerful form of resistance.<\/p>\n
Brisport said the queer community is deeply concerned about the future of LGBTQIA+ rights, but noted that queer visibility remains a powerful form of resistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst and foremost, being out of the closet is a major step that any queer person can take,\u201d Brisport said. \u201cThat was something that Harvey Milk beat the drum on a lot: that every time you come out of the closet, you normalize it, you make it something that is closer to home for your entire circle of family and friends, and you make it easier for other people to come out of the closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
He recalled an experience from his years as a teacher that underscored the importance of coming out. While working as a teacher, Brisport launched his campaign for State Senate. His election win garnered significant media attention, as he was the first openly queer person of color ever elected to the New York State Legislature. He said that one of his students, who used to make anti-trans jokes in class, later apologized and told Brisport that because of him, they had found their identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had done more soul-searching and realized that they themselves were non-binary, and that\u2019s the power of just being an out and proud politician,\u201d Brisport said.\n<\/p>\n
For Brisport, Black and queer identity have long been intertwined, and he encourages young queer people considering a career in politics to \u201cdive right in,\u201d using their identity as an entryway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of started in these places of identity of what is the struggle of queer community, what is the struggle of the Black community, and those snowballed into greater and greater political activism, and 1782762639 I\u2019m a senator,\u201d Brisport said.<\/p>\n
Brisport\u2019s political career began in college when he organized grassroots support for New York\u2019s same-sex marriage legislation in 2009. At the time, same-sex marriage was far from politically popular, and his first major political campaign failed when the New York State Senate voted down marriage equality in 2009.<\/p>\n
He admitted that he wanted to give up, but fellow activists urged him to continue organizing. On July 24, 2011, the Marriage Equality Act took effect in New York State.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThat taught me that if you believe your cause is just, you have to keep banging the drum on it. You may get your butt kicked the first time, but if you keep on doing it and keep organizing, you can eventually win,\u201d Brisport said, noting the importance of continuing to push for morally just causes, even when they seem unpopular.<\/p>\n
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Pride Month is more than a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community \u2014 it highlights the importance of protecting queer rights.File photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n
Brisport expressed disappointment that the push for higher taxes on New York\u2019s top earners failed and warned that recent cuts to Medicaid and Medicare will disproportionately affect queer communities, which already face higher rates of health care and housing insecurity, as well as economic instability compared to cisgender and straight people. Nearly 2 in 3 transgender people live in poverty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a real opportunity to raise taxes on the wealthy, to plug the gaps in Medicaid, and keep hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers insured, but that unfortunately couldn\u2019t get past the governor in the state\u2019s budget process, and we have a real issue coming down the pike with a lot of New Yorkers, including many queer New Yorkers about to lose their health insurance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He emphasized the importance of leveraging state and local governments, as well as nonprofits and mutual aid groups, to protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers, citing the Trans Safe Haven Act and organizations such as the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and Black and Pink. Brisport also praised SAGE, which was part of a DEI-related lawsuit against President Trump that successfully overturned an administration-wide freeze on federal grants and contracts intended for diversity, implicit bias and equity-focused programs, and the GRIOT Circle, a Brooklyn-based multigenerational organization supporting LGBTQ+ elders of color, which Brisport has supported with discretionary funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it shows the uniqueness of us; the focus on queer New Yorkers of color, too, which is something that has not always been first and foremost in the queer rights movement,\u201d Brisport said, noting that during state budget negotiations, he fought to include $500,000 for the LGBT Center to expand its mental health services for LGBTQIA+ members.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot many people are talking about mental health for LGBTQ people, so we\u2019re getting them about $500,000 for mental health services at a time when so many people in the community feel attacked. I think it would not have happened if you did not have queer state senators in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best advice Brisport received came from a fellow actor in \u201canother life\u201d when he was pursuing an acting career, who referred to the entertainment industry as a \u201cbig wheel\u201d that keeps on turning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t get picked for something, it\u2019s because it\u2019s simply just not your time in the wheel, but the wheel will keep on turning, and I think that applies to politics too,\u201d Brisport said. \u201cSometimes you don\u2019t get it at first, but you keep going for it. If you really believe in it, you\u2019ll eventually succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9<\/p>\n
Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights and is co-chair of the Brooklyn delegation and the LGBTQIA+ Caucus.\n<\/p>\n
Oss\u00e9 told Brooklyn Paper that Pride Month was not only about celebrating the queer community, but also served as a reminder that the fight for equal rights continues, urging New Yorkers to organize and advocate for LGBTQIA+ people.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow more than ever, as we\u2019re seeing so much of our queer siblings attempted to be erased by this fascist far right government, I find this month to be a month where we recognize our existence, but also hone in on the action steps that need to be taken in order to protect us,\u201d Oss\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n
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Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 (right) said Pride Month recognizes queer existence but also calls for action to protect the LGBTQIA+ community.File photo by Gabriele Holtermann.<\/p>\n
He noted that state and local government legislation \u2014 such as expanding access to affordable gender-affirming health care, making the city more affordable for queer New Yorkers, particularly trans people, and creating a shelter system that supports trans and queer youth \u2014 were instrumental in ensuring the city remains a safe \u201chaven\u201d for the queer community. LGBTQ+ youth are more than 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ+ peers and make up as much as 40% of all youth experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are various different ways that we can step up and support our community,\u201d Oss\u00e9 said.\n<\/p>\n