The Pride Power 50: 11-50

Had she not gone all-in for Christine Quinn’s mayoral run in 2013, which left her without the kind of relationship that Valerie Berlin enjoys with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, this partner at lobbying firm Bolton-St. Johns would enjoy a loftier professional perch in the city. Nevertheless, her considerable influence and ability to sway legislation continues through her close ties with the governor in particular, not to mention her voluminous Rolodex as a vice chairwoman in the state Democratic Party.

This well-connected veteran of the Paterson administration is a go-to guy for providing straight talk political counsel sans sycophancy, making connections and getting dollars flowing for candidates and causes. A former Jesuit priest who officiated at John F. Kennedy Jr.’s wedding and presided over his funeral, Charles O’Byrne is a Hetrick-Martin Institute executive board member, steering committee member of the Association for a Better New York and the executive vice president for policy at Related Cos.

This veteran of the Bloomberg administration and the Human Rights Campaign is a well-connected political strategist with a history of working in front of and behind the scenes on behalf of LGBT causes. A key player in the successful campaign for same-sex marriage in New York state in 2011, Brian Ellner also co-founded Athlete Ally, which promotes LGBT equality in sports. Today he exerts his influence as general manager for public affairs and issues advocacy at the powerhouse communications and marketing firm Edelman.

Once a year, Ethan Geto has his photo taken back to back with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to see who’s taller. Truth is, they’re about the same lofty height. A public affairs and strategic communications guru, this longtime political insider’s towering influence comes in no small part from his tight relationships with numerous power players; he can get just about anybody on the phone. He’s also a board member of the New York City AIDS Memorial.

A billionaire heir to the medical supply firm Stryker Corp., which his grandfather founded, Jon Stryker is a top global funder of LGBT causes. The trained architect has funneled more than $500 million into the Arcus Foundation since 2000; and as founder and board president, he has shepherded the group in supporting LGBT human rights worldwide. Locally, he sits on the board of Friends of the High Line and also recently joined the storied ranks of the Museum of Modern Art trustees.

Well-connected with both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio – to the point of pay-to-play favoritism, critics argue – Donald Capoccia is a managing principal at BFC Partners, where he develops public-private affordable housing projects, including LGBT-focused endeavors. He sits on the Real Estate Board of New York and founded the New York State Association for Affordable Housing. A central player in amfAR’s recent financial imbroglio, he was among those effectively forced off the charity’s board.

Spiritual leader is much too tepid a term to describe Sharon Kleinbaum. This senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Simchat Torah is revered as a beacon in the LGBT community thanks to her guidance during the AIDS crisis; her emphasis on social issues, including fighting for racial justice and protecting immigrants; and for participating in the #Resist movement. She is now basking in a power couple honeymoon phase after marrying American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

A wünderkind ever on the rise, this son of Ed Koch’s chief of staff has headed up the New York practice of Tusk Strategies since 2012, where he’s masterminded local campaigns on behalf of clients such as the Times Square Alliance and, to famous success, Uber in its battle against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The Bloomberg administration vet may have come up short backing Christine Quinn for mayor, but he did help maneuver Corey Johnson into the council speakership.

Love it or hate it, Airbnb has been one of the most significant disruptors to hit New York’s economy, padding local pockets but also apparently contributing to rising rents. As the vacation rental website’s head of public policy for New York, Josh Meltzer is driving the raging battle in Albany to secure its local footprint. Meltzer cut his teeth at Empire State Pride Agenda, advising Jon Stryker, and as then-state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s deputy chief of staff.

This ordained minister shepherds some of New York City’s most vulnerable citizens as president and CEO of Housing Works, the thriving thrift-store-supported nonprofit that provides housing and other vital services to homeless and low-income people with HIV. A major player on the governor’s Ending the AIDS Epidemic Task Force, he secured a major commitment for housing in the governor’s budget. He also is a leader in the push for supervised injection sites for drug users.

As then-President Bill Clinton’s adviser on gay and lesbian rights, Richard Socarides broke new ground for gay visibility and influence in politics – this from the son of psychoanalyst Charles Socarides, a prominent proponent of conversion therapy. The onetime lawyer maintains a strong media presence on CNN and Bloomberg TV and through essays in The New Yorker. He is currently the global head of public affairs for Gerson Lehrman Group and a SUNY trustee appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

As CEO of the HIV services organization Harlem United since 2015, Jacquelyn Kilmer holds a vital place in the city’s fight against the epidemic, considering the high rates of the virus among African-Americans. The former Denver law firm partner joined the nonprofit in 2010 as director of special projects and swiftly ascended through the ranks. During her time at the helm, Harlem United, which serves more than 16,000 New Yorkers, has opened a new, state-of-the-art health care facility on 133rd Street.

Since founding the Ali Forney Center in 2002, Carl Siciliano has grown the nonprofit into the nation’s premier service provider for homeless LGBT youth. Named a White House Champion of Change by then-President Barack Obama, he’s known to ruffle feathers by going it alone and has challenged religious institutions to support his cause. Recently, he went off message in the homeless advocacy community by pushing New York City Hall for more homeless youth support, even after a huge recent boost in city funds.

When policymakers want to craft proposals for LGBT youth services, Thomas Krever is the man to provide them wise counsel. As CEO of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation’s largest LGBT youth services nonprofit, he directs programming for at-risk youth as well as outreach to thousands of other young people in need. HMI is among 15 organizations to share the $30 million recently made available by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for mental health services.

A veteran of ACT UP and co-founder of its offshoot, Treatment Action Group, Peter Staley has left behind rabble-rousing activism and honed a highly effective style of arm-twisting diplomacy on behalf of the HIV cause. He was an architect of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2015 blueprint on ending the AIDS epidemic and was also instrumental in pressuring the state Attorney General’s Charities Bureau to force Kenneth Cole from the amfAR board due to the charity’s troubled series of financial transactions with Harvey Weinstein.

A pioneer in the transgender rights movement, Melissa Sklarz has served for decades in the trenches of community boards, Democratic clubs and progressive advocacy, and now is finally running for an Assembly seat in Queens. Sklarz, who became the first transgender New Yorker elected to office in 1999, as a judicial delegate in the 66th Assembly District, helped secure transgender civil rights protections from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration.

This political consultant has a couple of blights by association on his résumé: He worked on finance operations for Eric Schneiderman’s 2010 run for state attorney general and was a staffer for Anthony Weiner’s 2005 New York City mayoral bid. That aside, David Mansur is a man on the make, attracting top clients, such as former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. He recently raised, pro bono, nearly $100,000 for TransPAC, which pushes for transgender rights legislation in Albany.

Founder and president of Longview Capital Advisors, which provides capital to the real estate industry, Mitchell Draizin is a donor, bundler and political relationship builder who has guided many gay rising stars, including New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council members Carlos Menchaca and Ritchie Torres. Draizin co-founded the Bronx LGBTQ Center, co-founded the CUNY LGBTQI Student Leadership Program and sits on Hunter College’s advisory board for its LGBT Social Science & Public Policy Center.

A veteran LGBT activist and progressive political organizer for the past five decades who has served a storied roster of politicos, including Mario Cuomo and David Dinkins, Allen Roskoff exerts his influence with notoriously strident force. He has long ruled the roost at the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, a progressive politics stop in the LGBT political club circuit. Those who dare cross him risk depiction in his holiday card, in which he lambastes adversaries through unflattering caricatures.

There’s a good chance you’ll see Ann Northrop at any major LGBT street protest or community meeting. The former network TV producer has been making continuous waves since she taught the ACT UP activists how to drop a juicy soundbite during the height of the AIDS crisis. Today, she’s part of a movement seeking to put the activist bent back into the New York City LGBT Pride March and continues co-hosting her long-running news show, “Gay USA.”