ELLEN ENSIG-BRODSKY
After her successful careers in international travel promotion and medical nutrition, the 1970s feminist explosion opened Ellen Ensig-Brodsky to her true self. From that point onward, LGBTQ activism became her life’s work. She co-founded the Unitarian Universalist Gay Concerns Committees on Long Island; became active with the National Gay Task Force, Empire State Pride Agenda and Callen-Lorde Community Health Center; and co-started one of the earliest LGBTQ aging organizations, Pride Senior Network. Representing those groups, Ensig-Brodsky visited legislators in Albany, NY and Washington DC; made presentations at colleges, senior centers and senior service organizations; and became active in New York State’s nursing home community. Eventually, she was elected president of Manhattan Borough-Wide Interagency Council on Aging. These days, she continues her activism and social engagement with SAGE. Reflecting on the value of her work in our community, she says, “The recognition and validation of LGBTQ relationships has enabled society to establish and maintain love and care with families of choice. Along with fluidity of choice, our movement has enriched human love. So it has been for me.” –SLO
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