Pride in Time of Chaos

Pride Month is a celebratory time for surviving the “slings and arrows” of outrageousness” endured by same-sex loving people. However, this year there’s much for concern. With this election destroy all the gains won not only in the gay community but any marginalized group? Time is of the essence. Let’s gather and work to retain our rights.

Lujira Cooper is an African American 76-year-old lesbian activist living in New York’s Upper Westside. Her interests include writing, photography, and advocating for LGBTQ persons of all ages. She facilitates a writing playshop at SAGE, an advocacy organization for the elder LGBTQ population. Spoke at the SAGE gala in 2016 and the World Pride opening ceremony in 2019 as a SAGE member. She has been featured in two coffee table photography books: Grace Bonney’s COLLECTIVE WISDOM: Lessons, Inspiration and Advice from Women Over 50 and THE WATERMARK’s NOT ANOTHER SECOND which speaks of the lives of fourteen LGBTQ seniors and is a touring exhibit. She has published one book Theft of Trust and is currently working on a space saga and a second in the Theft of series about strong women. Two unique things are she returned to school in 2016 and by 2020 she had gotten a BA and MA in English and Creative Writing, and a BS in Criminal Justice and she did a presentation in 2022 for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) on creativity to ease tortured LGBTQ seniors. She is on Brooklyn’s Board of Trustees.