Otsego Pride Alliance - Quilt Speakers

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The National AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibit Opening Ceremony Speakers and Musicians

Hank Nicols (he/him)

In 1985 before AIDS was a word, 10-year-old Henry Nicols, a hemophiliac, was infected with the deadly virus from a blood transfusion. For years his family kept the secret about AIDS from everyone. In 1991, a senior in high school and deathly ill, 17-year-old Nicols boldly announced to the world "I have AIDS." Protected by his community of Cooperstown, NY (the Home of Baseball) Nicols quickly became a celebrity and a poster child for AIDS understanding. He then became an international AIDS advocate and educator, travelling around the U.S. and the world spreading a message of compassion and love. Nicols died of complications of AIDS in 2000. Henry’s father, Hank, authored a memoir, Henry for President, outlining the legacy of a brave child suffering from a chronic illness and then infected with the scourge of our time.
Hank Nicols is a SUCO (SUNY Oneonta) Graduate, Class of ’71 and was awarded an Alumni of Distinction Award at SUNY Oneonta. He earned a master's from Buffalo State in 2000 and was awarded an Ed.D. hc, in 2022 from Bridges Graduate School in Studio City, CA. He is currently the C.O.O. of Bridges Graduate School. Hank and his family moved to the Oneonta / Cooperstown area after his discharge from the Army in 1976 and they lived here for almost 50 years before he and his wife moved to Wildwood, FL.

Peter Twyman (he/him)

Peter Twyman serves as Deputy Director of Columbia World Projects (CWP) which mobilizes Columbia University’s researchers and scholars to work with governments, nonprofits, businesses, and communities to tackle global challenges. He came to his position with three decades of experience managing local, national, and international programs in child welfare, economic development, and public health with particular emphasis on increasing access to HIV prevention and treatment services. As Executive Director of Yamba Malawi, he led the design and major expansion of innovative child-focused poverty alleviation programs in rural Malawi. He also served as CEO of Keep a Child Alive, which supported HIV treatment and care programs in India, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. Peter also held senior positions at the international health organizations EngenderHealth and ICAP Global Health at Columbia University, where he supported HIV prevention and care programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. He serves on the U.S. boards of Yamba Malawi, Friendship Bench, and UHAI East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative, an organization focused on advocacy and support for LGBTIQ+ communities in the region. Peter graduated from Connecticut College and holds an M.A. in Anthropology from University of California, Irvine, and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Bryant O'Donnell (he/Him)

Bryant O'Donnell, diagnosed as HIV-positive October 27, 2021, is a passionate HIV Stops with Me spokesmodel, NYS Certified Peer worker in HIV and Harm Reduction, Graduate with his AAS in Community & Human Services and the Founder, Director, and CEO of Raising The ᴠɪʙʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. His motto, “Turning My Mess into a Message & My Vulnerability into a Superpower,” reflects his work as a motivational speaker and edutainer. As an LGBTQ+ activist, Bryant is dedicated to HIV prevention and awareness, striving to end stigma, break the cycle, and ultimately celebrate a world without AIDS.
He has previously served as a Ryan White Case Manager at the Southern Tier AIDS Program, Inc., and as Director of Recreation at Norwich Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Joe Rossi (he/him)

A native Oneontan, Joe Rossi was in the first class (of eight) to graduate with SUNY's Music Industry degree. After graduation, he spent over thirty years working in non-profit arts management and performing on regional stages throughout the U.S. "Day" jobs include Manhattan School of Music, Baltimore Opera, Lorin Maazel's Castleton Festival, and Adventure Theatre/MTC. Performances include both Chino(Shark) and A-rab(Jet)-West Side Story, Lazar Wolf-Fiddler, Hortensio/Pops-Kiss Me Kate, King Pellinore/Morgan Le Fey-Camelot, and a bunch of Joe Rossi Shows. Glad to be making Oneonta home again! The town "grew up," too.

Timothy Horne (he/him)

Timothy Horne has been involved in musical activities in the Oneonta area since 1984. He has been a staff accompanist at Hartwick College since the late 1980’s, accompanying at various times the College Choir, Chamber Choir, Women’s Choir, Opera Scenes, student and departmental recitals, convocations, and juries. He has been the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta since 1988, accompanist for the Catskill Choral Society since 1992, and accompanist for Oneonta High School concerts and musicals for the past 12 years. He has also been involved with Orpheus Theatre as an occasional accompanist/ pit musician, as well as music director for the Summer Children/Teen Workshops for about 15 years.

Jon Powers (he/him)

Jon’s earliest memories of music involve dancing around in a circle to his father’s 8 track of Johnny Cash. He went on to play bass as a teenager in several punk rock and heavy metal bands and then started playing acoustic guitar in his twenties. Since then, his musical tastes have expanded to include Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, and Neil Young as well as more contemporary artists as the Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show. He has been playing locally with Rickety Fence for the past several years.

Braylen Jack (he/they)

Braylen Jack is a 2024 graduate of SUNY Oneonta, earning a degree in Human Development and Family Studies and a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. He serves as an Administrative Health Assistant to a trans doctor dedicated to providing inclusive primary care to marginalized communities. Previously, Braylen worked as a project intern with the late Cecilia Gentili at Trans Equity Consulting (TEC) and participated in the NEW Pride Agenda's eight-week program, which focused on educating participants about public health issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. Through this program, he became certified by NYS in various public health topics to empower himself and his peers. Braylen is currently focused on creating a queer community space in a local brick-and-mortar establishment that will offer support in the form of food, social resources, gatherings, and access to essential items.

Wayne Chasteen

Wayne Chasteen is a musician and artist, and veteran of the US army. He has worked extensively to support people in recovery, including working with friends to convert drug houses into "sober houses," serving as an on-site manager for a sober house, and planning sober gatherings. Wayne is honoring his best friend Rob Bates, who contracted HIV before getting sober.

Denise A. Norris

International SpeakerTransgender/Gender Diverse Rights AdvocateCo-Founder Transexual MenaceHarvey Milk Alumni Award Recipient (University at Albany)Stonewall Spirit of Pride Award Recipient (Stonewall National Museum)
Since founding the Transexual Menace over 30 yrs ago, Denise has been an activist and advocate for transgender/gender diverse visibility and equality in our society. Considered a community elder, she recently reanimated the dormant Menace to help confront the new existential threats her community.
In her spare time, Denise is manager at a global business consulting company specializing in complex information technology project delivery.
She currently resides in Andes, New York

Kerri Lincoln

Kerri is a queer community organizer and human rights activist and serves as the Vice President of Otsego Pride Alliance. She is pursuing a degree at SUNY Oneonta, studying Women's and Gender Studies, Queer and Trans Studies, and Sociology. She is a New York State certified rape crisis counselor, a case manager for Oneonta Veterans Outreach Center, and a domestic violence shelter associate.

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