Strides of Pride: LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Running
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Virtual Panel Program
Event Description
Join the American LGBTQ+ Museum, in partnership with Front Runners New York and Athlete Ally for a virtual panel celebrating the intersection of running and LGBTQ+ inclusion. The conversation will delve into the rich history of LGBTQ+ pioneers in the running community, highlighting the individuals who paved the way for inclusion and equality within the sport as well the groundbreaking moments that shaped the landscape of LGBTQ+ participation in running.
The program will shed light on how advocacy for LGBTQ+ athletes has significantly impacted the world of sports, leading to more inclusive policies and greater visibility and will explore the ongoing efforts to create a welcoming and brave space for LGBTQ+ individuals within the running community.
Our featured panelists include AC Dumlao (Chief of Staff at Athlete Ally), Giovanna Fischer (Runner with Capri Collective and Black Roses NYC) Zackary Harris (Chair of Front Runners New York Trans & Non-Binary Committee), Ana Maria Aguero Jahannes (Artist), and J Solle (Race Director of the FRNY LGBT Pride Run®).
“Strides of Pride: LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Running” invites attendees from all backgrounds—runners, advocates, artists, and supporters—to join in this opportunity to honor the past, celebrate the present, and pave the way for a future where diversity and inclusivity are the cornerstone of running culture.
Join us in taking meaningful strides towards an inclusive and equitable future for all LGBTQ+ individuals in the world of running.
Panelists:
Zackary Harris (they/them) is a law student at Brooklyn Law School and was the inaugural champion of the 2021 New York City Marathon’s Non-Binary Division. Zackary started running on their high school’s track and cross-country teams, but their time on the team was cut short because of their teammate’s homophobia and anti-LGBTQ views. Since then, they have reconnected with running and found a supportive community of LGBTQ runners in Front Runners New York. Zackary has been a fierce advocate for non-binary runners’ and their advocacy work has been highlighted by major news outlets like The New York Times, NBC, CBS, and Outsports. They have finished multiple marathons, like Boston, Chicago, and Berlin, and this year was their fifth New York City Marathon.
AC Dumlao (they/he) is the Chief of Staff at Athlete Ally, a nonprofit dedicated to LGBTQI+ inclusion in sports. Previously, AC was Director of Stakeholder Engagement at TLDEF where they led The Name Change Project and TLDEF’s education initiatives which focused on gender inclusive policies in the workplace. AC is the creator of the page “Call Me They,” where they share news and commentary from their perspective as a trans non-binary Filipino-American. Their advocacy work and words have been in The Huffington Post, Allure, Business Insider, Mic.com, The Advocate, and more. This year, AC was named a Grand Marshal for the NYC Pride March.
Giovanna Fischer (she/her) is a runner, educator and cultural strategist based, born, and raised in Los Angeles. She currently serves as the Chief Equity Officer of the LA LGBT Center. Her work centers teaching and learning in the design of equitable and inclusive systems and experiences to build organizational cultures rooted in care. She runs with Capri Collective and Black Roses NYC, where this work informs a more collective and creative running practice.
J Solle (they/them) is the Race Director for the FRNY LGBT Pride Run®, the largest Pride charity run in the world. J also serves as the Director at Large for the FRNY Board of Directors, leading efforts to create better visibility for Trans and Non-binary athletes in the club and in NYC races by leading FRNY’s partnership with New York Road Runners. J recently completed the 2023 Chicago and New York City Marathons, and is looking forward to running the 2024 Boston Marathon. J works full-time as the Director of Clinical Research at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and resides on the Upper West Side in New York with their partner Jacob Caswell, and their many plants.
Ana María Agüero Jahannes (she/they) is a Queer Black Colombian American designer, artist and space-maker working in New Orleans, Louisiana. Utilizing performance, digital design, interior design, and traditional crafts, her work is a visual and experiential language observing the spaces where the Black diaspora, queer folks, and artists come alive, and proposes new models for collective and self expression. Raised in a multi-racial artist household in Savannah, Georgia and constantly shifting her lifestyle and environment as an adult, her practice explores themes of identity, multiplicity and vibrancy. Ana earned a BS in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University in 2008. She is the recipient of the 2021 Open Call commission from The Shed. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco), MoCADA (Brooklyn), and Waraq Centro Cultural de Huaraz (Peru).