Join documentary filmmaker Mike Syers for a screening of his short film "There are Things to Do" about Indian-born American LGBTQ+ activist, writer and author Urvashi Vaid. Following the film, Mike will join the stage with CCNY's Inaugural Urvashi Vaid Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy winners Shantal Rodriguez and Blaze Levario. Special remarks by Stonewall National Museum & Archives Executive Director Robert Kesten and CCNY Dean Andrew Rich.
Mike Syers is a Provincetown, MA based award winning documentary filmmaker, community non profit board member & has a long history of national & local LGBTQ+ leadership & activism. He is founder of a Provincetown filmmakers collaborative focused on expanding community among filmmakers connected to Americas Oldest Art Colony. After a 35 year business related career and former partner at the global business services firm Ernst & Young (EY), Mike turned his sights on filmmaking as his medium to explore compelling subjects and people. Mike was co-founder of EY’s LGBTQ group in the US in early 2000’s, led the group for over a decade & become the first openly gay partner at EY. He was among a select group of LGBTQ leaders who worked with President Obama’s administration and met directly with then Vice-President Biden to help shape the White House’s equality policy, including championing marriage equality. He also served as an LGBTQ+ advisor to Out Leadership, the Clinton Global Initiative and the United Nations focus on LGBTQI+ human rights.
Inaugural Urvashi Vaid Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy winner Shantal Rodriguez is a passionate and driven junior pursuing Secondary English Education, as well as minors in Psychology and Jewish Studies, at The City College of New York. With a keen interest in diversity in academia, they are dedicated to LGBTQ+ and Black equity. They constantly seek new challenges and opportunities for learning, striving to make a meaningful impact both in their studies and beyond. In their free time, Shantal Rodriguez enjoys finding inspiration in literature and exploring the world around them. Shantal was a Mixner LGBTQ+ Equal Rights Fellow and the inaugural recipient of the Colin Powell School’s Urvashi Vaid Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy.
Inaugural Urvashi Vaid Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy winner Blaze Levario graduated with a BA in Psychology from The City College of New York in 2023, where they were a Mixner Fellow and recipient of the Urvashi Vaid Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy. They started out as a performer and returned to school to learn to apply their skills to help queer and LGBTQ+ youths and adults. They hope to join a queer and sex affirming therapy practice, while also advocating for inclusive and comprehensive sex education in schools. Blaze currently works as a DEI and intimacy coordinator for a theatre company called Broadway Bods, where they help widen the scope toward inclusion of trans and non-binary performers. While at CCNY, Blaze interned at GMHC. They are currently pursuing a MA in Psychology at NYU.
