DONNA ACETO | A NYC-based photographer specializing in events and political activism, Aceto has been Lead Photographer for AIDS Walk New York for 25+ years and was the primary photographer for Gay Men’s Health Crisis for 15+ years. Her clients include the NY Civil Liberties Union and the Edith S. Windsor Trust. Click here to access archival photos available for licensing for publication as well as fine-art prints for framing.
CHARLI BATTERSBY | Charles (Charli) Battersby is a playwright, screenwriter, actor, model, game designer, and journalist. Battersby is known as a playwright for, among others, The Astonishing Adventures of All-American Girl & The Scarlet Skun. Battersby is the screenwriter/co-creator of the animated web series The Storyteller: Fallout. She has written about video games, theater, and LGBT topics for media including Geek.com, Complex, and Joystiq. Battersby has moderated a series of panel discussions on Transgender themes in comic books.
JACKIE BEAT | Drag superstar JACKIE BEAT has been entertaining audiences across the world for over 35 years with her hysterical song parodies of classic and contemporary pop songs. She has appeared on Sex and the City and in several movies including Flawless with Robert DeNiro. Jackie is lead singer of the popular electro-rock band Dirty Sanchez. Aa a proud Writers Guild member, she’s worked on The WB sketch comedy show Hype!, E Entertainment TV’s Fashion Police, The HuluWeen Dragstravaganza, and her very own series for OUTtv, Dr. Jackie: Unlicensed Psychotherapist. Jackie is also a writer/producer on the upcoming Tubi original adult animated series BREAKING BEAR starring Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Annie Murphy, Elizabeth Hurley and Josh Gad. For the Store page of her website, click here.
JIM CARUSO | A celebrated force in the nightclub scene, Caruso has been recognized with multiple BroadwayWorld, MAC, and BackStage Bistro awards. Since 2002, he has hosted the legendary Jim Caruso’s Cast Party every Monday night at NYC’s Birdland (315 W. 44thSt.). He has headlined at Carnegie Hall, The White House, and The Carlyle Hotel. He made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the Tony-winning Liza’s At The Palace!—the subsequent recording earned a Grammy nomination. For more info, click here to visit Caruso’s website.
Perry N. Halkitis, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H. is the Dean, Hunterdon Professor of Public Health and Health Equity, and Distinguished Professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health. His forthcoming book–Humanizing Public Health: How Disease-Centered Approaches Have Failed Us–wil be released on May 6, 2026 by Johns Hopins Universiy Press.
ERIC MARCUS | The founder, host, and executive director of the podcast Making Gay History, Marcus is the author of a dozen books, including Breaking the Surface, the #1 New York Times bestselling autobiography of Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis. He is the founder and chair emeritus of the Stonewall 50 Consortium and is a founding board member of the American LGBTQ+ Museum.
WINNIE McCROY | An award-winning journalist with 20 years’ experience as a writer and senior editor, McCroy is versatile in all aspects of publication, including editorial, art, layout, CMS publishing, SEO optimization, and social media marketing. For her editorial portfolio and blog, click here.
MICHAEL MUSTO | Musto is a columnist, pop cultural and political pundit, NYC nightlife chronicler, author, and the go-to gossip responsible for the long-running (1984-2013) Village Voice column, “La Dolce Musto.” His work appears on ChelseaCommunityNews.com as well as thedailybeast.com, and he is writing for the Village Voice (which debuted in April of 2021) and RAG Magazine (which debuted in October of 2025). Follow Musto on Instagram, via @michaelmusto.
KIM PLOSIA | A seasoned entrepreneur with a career spanning media, design, and technology. Plosia is currently a driving force behind The Village View, Greenwich Village’s hyperlocal community newspaper. She founded and led the boutique graphic design firm Ivy House, and the web development agency Elucient. Her dual expertise in design and technology continues to inform her approach to storytelling, marketing, and community-building.
ANN NORTHROP | Since 1996, veteran journalist and activist Northrop has co-hosted the weekly national cable show Gay USA (currently serving as its co-executive producer). Her journalism career began at The National Journal in Washington, D.C., and includes writing for Ms. Magazine and The Ladies Home Journal. In early 1988, Northrop joined ACT UP/New York, participating in hundreds of demonstrations and getting arrested many times for civil disobedience. She served for four years as a board member of the Gay Games, and helped create the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies (a gay think tank now known as the Williams Institute).
ROB PARAVONIAN | Writer and co-performer of the LGBTQCommunityNews podcast’s catchy theme song, Paravonian is a comedian and musician who seamlessly fuses sharp comedy with top-notch musicianship–a perfect blend evident from his viral Pachelbel Rant, his observations on popular music, and his well-crafted original songs. His latest solo show and album, The American Songbook: Redacted, showcases his agility with lyrics along with his producing and arranging skills while satirizing American history and culture. All of his albums, along with some cool merch, can be found on the Store page of his website. To do so, click here.
FRANK PIZZOLI | Pizzoli’s essays, book reviews, profiles, and reviews have been published nationwide. He founded the award-winning LGBTQ newspaper The Central Voice (2003-2020) and Positive Opportunities, Inc. (1997-2017), a nonprofit that provided employment counseling and training for HIV-positive individuals. His work is chronicled in Out in Central Pennsylvania: The History of an LGBTQ Community (Penn State University Press). Pizzoli’s latest book, Passionate Outlier: Gay Writers and Allies on Their Work, is available from Rebel Satori Press.
KAELA ROEDER | Roeder is the lead DC and Virginia reporter at the news outlet Technical.ly. She’s an award-winning journalist, also working as a freelance reporter. Kaela was formerly the deputy editor at Street Sense Media, a local newspaper covering homelessness and housing in DC. She’s written for publications including Washington City Paper, DCist/WAMU and the Washington Blade. She holds a B.A. in journalism and anthropology from American University and was a Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellow.
TRAV S.D. | Writer and performer Trav S.D. (Travis Stewart) has written for the NY Times, the Village Voice, and numerous other publications. He has been in the vanguard of New York’s vaudeville and burlesque scenes since 1995, and has directed his own plays, revues, and solo pieces in NYC since 1989. His books include No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, and The Marx Brothers Miscellany: A Subjective Appreciation of the World’s Greatest Comedy Team. Click here to visit Travalanche.
SCOTT STIFFLER | The publisher/founder of LGBTQCommunityNews.nyc, Stiffler simultaneously serves as founder/editor of ChelseaCommunityNews.com (CCNews). Prior to its 2019 launch , Stiffler spent nearly a decade as editor of Chelsea Now newspaper and arts editor of that paper as well as sister publications The Villager and Downtown Express. He’s written for gay media including the Advocate, Cybersocket, Gay City News, the Washington Blade, and the Los Angeles Blade. His dynamic, largely misunderstood art can be purchased by clicking here.
SHERRY VINE | Drag Legend Sherry Vine has been performing for 35 years. She tours the world with her all-live singing comedy shows, and is the star/writer of The Sherry Vine Variety Show (all 3 seasons available on OUTtv). On YouTube, her video parodies have been viewed over 20,000,000 times. Most recently, she opened for Bianca del Rio across the globe. Sherry can be seen starring as Blanche in the Golden Girlz Live in LA. For the Music/Merch page of her website, click here.
JAY W. WALKER | He is a co-founder of the Reclaim Pride Coalition, which has organizes the annual Queer Liberation March since 2019. He is a founding and active member of the direct action activist organizations Gays Against Guns and Rise and Resist. His career in activism began in the 1990s as part of the October 19th Coalition. A New Yorker for 40 years, Jay hails from Hampton, VA. Walker has written for publications including POZ, The Nation, and The Advocate. A founding member of the activist ‘queertet’ Sing Out Louise, Jay also co-hosts the weekly podcast, Gurl, Stop.
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