This Is Pride: Staten Islander, 28, passionate about making healthcare accessible to all, including HIV services

(EDITOR’S NOTE: “This Is Pride” is a series of profiles and portraits featuring Staten Islanders who made history as part of the borough’s LGBTQ+ pride movement and important members of the community. If you have someone you would like to nominate for “This is Pride,” e-mail their name and a brief nomination to tips@siadvance.com.)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With the goal of making medical services accessible to all, Steven Stora, 28, has worked in HIV-related healthcare for the last five years.

Employed as a project manager at Northwell Health, Stora is determined to part of the “change” that will one day make Staten Island “all-inclusive.”

“Through community action and visible outward acceptance, I think Staten Island can become a safer, more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ individuals,” said the St. George resident, who has worked for the Pride Center of Staten Island, and sits on city and state Department of Health committees.

“Through community action and visible outward acceptance, I think Staten Island can become a safer, more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ individuals,” said the St. George resident. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

As part of The Staten Island Advance/SILive.com’s “This Is Pride” series, we asked Stora his thoughts on the following questions:

What does it mean to be a LGBTQ+ Staten Islander?

“Being a gay Staten Islander is spending a lot of time on the ferry to Manhattan. (I’m only half kidding!) Being gay on Staten Island to me means paying it forward and being visible. I always wanted to do more, and make this Island more inclusive because that’s what teenage Steven would have needed to flourish, so I started working at the Pride Center of Staten Island to help make that change. It is much less alienating when you have places to go to be yourself, and see people like yourself thriving.”

What does pride mean to you?

“Pride to me is the radical act of unapologetic self-love and self-acceptance. It is a time to celebrate the BIPOC [Black, indigenous, and people of color] LGBTQ+ people who started the Gay Liberation Movement in 1969 with the Stonewall Riots. Pride is a community of shared experiences. It is also a time to mourn those we have lost through the years to violence, homophobia, suicide, transphobia, stigmatized healthcare and discrimination. Pride is a manifestation of love through the human experience.”

What do you love about being a Staten Islander?

“I love the sense of community Staten Island has. I feel like when everyone sets their minds to something it can be done. Hurricane Sandy comes to mind, seeing the resiliency of people helping one another through tragedy was beautiful and inspiring for what this Island is capable of.”

With the goal of making medical services accessible to all, Steven Stora has worked in HIV related healthcare for the last five years. Having worked for the Pride Center of Staten Island, he sits on city and state Department of Health committees. And Stora is currently employed as a project manager at Northwell Health. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

During Pride month, do you think about: What still needs to be done?

“A lot still needs to be done in the United States and on Staten Island. This year alone hundreds of anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced to state legislation, which is incredibly concerning. … We need to foster a sense of communal empathy and get back to talking to each other, rather than listening to clickbait on social media. I will keep fighting for my rights and the rights of future LGBTQ+ generations. Happy Pride Staten Island!”

More “This Is Pride” stories:

This Is Pride: Social media business owner started LGBTQ+ group at St. John’s University Staten Island campus

This Is Pride: NYC Hip Hop artist, Emil Troy, 22, finds their groove on Staten Island

This Is Pride: Remembering Jim Smith, often called ‘The Mayor of Staten Island’ and ‘The Father of Gay Pride’

This Is Pride portrait: LGBTQ+ ally works to educate and ‘open minds’ of Staten Islanders

This Is Pride: Grasmere couple founded Staten Island Stonewall and was active in early LGBTQ+ movement here

Here’s a timeline of LGBTQ+ history on Staten Island

This Is Pride portrait: This LGBTQ+ ally designs inclusive lingerie for transgender women

This Is Pride: Queer Van Kult produces avant-garde performance and art highlighting talented LGBTQ+ locals

This is Pride portrait: Judge Matthew J. Titone, Staten Island’s first openly gay elected official, broke barriers in the face of discrimination

This Is Pride portrait: Nicholas Robinson, an activist for HIV awareness, prevention

This Is Pride portrait: Z-100′s Elvis Duran and husband, Alex Carr, have become NYC celebrity advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion

This Is Pride portrait: Dr. Melissa Yih, ally and fertility specialist, helps LGBTQ+ partners create their own families

This Is Pride portrait: Carol Bullock, a leader dedicated to building community, brave space, inclusion and allyship

A force for LGBTQ+ inclusivity on Staten Island looks back on decades in the borough’s pride movement

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