Our Team

Kei Williams

They/Them

Interim Executive Director

Born and raised in Upstate, NY, Kei Williams is a Black queer transmasculine organizer and self-taught artist. A founding member of Black Lives Matter New York City, the aim of Kei’s work is to transform global culture from the individual into a systemic analysis of structural oppression. They use decentralization as a framework to approach their activism, relationships, and political theory of change, a praxis they learned with Movement NetLab. Over the past decade, they have extended their lens of service to organizations like Rhize, People’s Climate Movement, and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute. Kei has presented and provided learning experiences at several institutions and serves on the Leadership Council for the Mellon Initiative for Inclusive Faculty Excellence at The New School. In 2022, Kei was honored with the Black Voices for Black Justice Award as a leader in the fight for racial justice. They are a homebody, kept company by their dog and dozen inherited plants.

Jocelyn Bula

She/Her

Program Coordinator

Jocelyn Bula is a Puerto Rican woman of Transgender experience born and raised in New York. She is a three-time college graduate, with two Associate Degrees and a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Jocelyn is a well-known figure in the Ballroom Scene, which began in New York City and is now a global phenomenon. Jocelyn is the Mother of the International House of Milan and is known for being on the hit show “Legendary” on HBO Max.

Johnathan "Jaszi" Alejandro

He/Him

Community Health Coordinator

Johnathan Alejandro, also known as “Jaszi,” is a male-identified pansexual social justice activist. Growing up as the youngest of six kids, the Nuyorican Bronx native grew up with the desire to change the world. Jaszi worked with organizations such as The Hetrick-Martin Institute and F.I.E.R.C.E, where he took an interest in the issues that impact at-risk LGBTQ youth: Homophobia, Transphobia, Homelessness, and HIV/AIDS. After contracting HIV as a teenager, Jaszi developed a passion to educate the world on the realities of living with HIV and began working towards ending HIV stigma. As a young adult Jaszi co-chaired the NYS Department of Health AIDS Institute’s Young Adults Consumer Advisory Committee (YACAC) and became a spokesmodel for the nationally known campaign “HIV Stops With ME.” Jaszi also served as the original spokesmodel for one of GMHC’s largest social marketing campaigns, “I Love My Boo,” an anti-homophobic public awareness campaign that promoted healthy relationships amongst POC & MSM. The campaign won the award for the Most Outstanding Social Marketing campaign at the GLAAD Amplifier Awards. Jaszi’s success as a spokesmodel led him to become a full-time Community Health Specialist at GMHC, where he helped launch the first official youth drop-in center called CLUB 1319, an after-school program for young MSM ages 13-19. Jaszi aspires to live in Hawaii one day, but until then, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Lehman College and resides with his dog dynasty of miniature pinschers.

Faris Ilyas

They/them

Policy Counsel

Faris was born and raised in NY and received their J.D. from NYU School of Law in 2022. Prior to joining The NEW Pride Agenda, Faris worked as a legal fellow with the Urban Justice Center in New York, where they advocated for the decriminalization of consensual sex work and expanding services for sex workers living in NYC. During their time as a law student, Faris worked for the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, where they provided legal assistance to incarcerated TGNCI people, and they worked with the Exploitation Intervention Project of The Legal Aid Society, where they assisted with post-conviction advocacy on behalf of sex workers, victims of trafficking, and victims of domestic violence.

Brittan Hardgers

He/Him

Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement

Educator, Activist, Advocate, Public Speaker, and the 1st Black Transgender person to openly run for Rochester City Council - Brittan Hardgers is the President and founder of Next Generation Men of Transition (NGMT). Upon embarking on his own physical transition, Brittan founded NGMT and has worked tirelessly to build national visibility for Trans Masculine individuals. Brittan has participated in numerous panels across the country, including Emory University, GEVA Theatre, University of Rochester, Rochester Public Defender's Office, Wind Stream, Aria Strategies and more. Brittan is the VP of the Greater Rochester LGBTQ+ Political Caucus, CEO of W.A.V.E Women Inc, Co-Creative Director of Cover Design and creator of the column "TRAN/s/: featured in Blaque/Out Magazine.