Nathan Schaefer

February 26, 2015

2017

Biography

Nathan Schaefer is the Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation. In this capacity, he oversees the organization’s staff across the state and is responsible for advancing equality and justice for LGBT New Yorkers via the various facets of both organizations.

Nathan has ushered the Pride Agenda through to several accomplishments during his tenure, including the rollout of a new brand and online presence, unprecedented support to secure civil rights for transgender New Yorkers and a leadership role on two new initiatives, protections for families with advocacy for the passage of the Child-Parent Security Act and a bill to protect LGBT youth from “therapy” practices that attempt to change who they are.

Prior to his tenure at the Pride Agenda, he served as the Director of Public Policy for GMHC, as well as Government Relations Associate at AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families in Washington, D.C., and the Director of Education and Public Policy at the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, OH. Nathan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH and earned his Masters of Social Work in the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. He serves as an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University’s School of Social Work.

More You might like

Maryland Joins Growing Group of States Modernizing HIV Laws

Maryland Governor Wes Moore today signed into law comprehensive legislation to modernize the state's approach to HIV and end the criminalization of people living with HIV. The reform, HB 39/SB 356, will align state policy with modern medical science and remove barriers to life-saving care.

June 12, 2025
Meet Our Newest State Partners!

We’re so excited to introduce you to the newest members of our state partner network: IYG and Fairness Pennsylvania!

June 12, 2025
Black & LGBTQ+ Organizations Mobilize in High-Stakes Supreme Court Battle

We joined The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), PrEP in Black America (PIBA), Afiya Center (Dallas), Women with a Vision (New Orleans), SisterLove (Atlanta), and BlaqOut (Kansas City, Missouri) in filing an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the Braidwood v Kennedy case on appeal in the Supreme Court in order to take a stand defending access to preventative health care nationally and to protect the Black and brown lives that will be lost should this access be overturned.

June 12, 2025
A young man looking up, smilingA young man smiling straight at the camera
Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.