NATASHA DILLON
A founding member of the direct-action group Queer Rising, Natasha Dillon has been instrumental in organizing several prominent LGBT demonstrations over the past 18 months. Last year Dillon was arrested at the White House for protesting the president’s lack of leadership on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, and on the Las Vegas Strip for blocking traffic and demanding that Sen. Harry Reid bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to a vote. A vocal proponent of marriage equality (and twice arrested in New York this year), Dillon says, “it makes all the work worth it when I see the hope and genuine gratitude on the faces of those whose lives have been torn apart because of inequality, and the realization that life is going to get a bit better because of all the work we do.” Dillon is also the Vice President of Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, sits on Community Board 3 in Manhattan and is the founder of Guiding Proud, the first and only LGBTQ youth mentoring program in New York City. She was recently honored at Stonewall’s 5th Annual Women’s Awards for her leadership in politics and activism. –DP
