At the end of 2013, New Jersey became the 14th state to extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples. This historic victory was the result of the hard work of many LGBT activists and organizations, including Federation member Garden State Equality.

Since winning marriage in their state, Garden State Equality (GSE) has shifted their focus, looking beyond the marriage milestone to securing lasting equality for LGBT New Jerseyans. To lead the organization’s work in this post-marriage moment, GSE recently hired Andrea Bowen to be their new executive director.

We reached out to Andrea to learn more about what led her to working for the LGBT rights movement, and what plans she has for the future of Garden State Equality.

Andrea didn’t always know she was going to get involved in LGBT activism. She spent almost four years as a researcher with the Ironworkers Union’s Organizing Department, during which she found herself doing some work with the DC Council. Then, almost out of curiosity, towards the end of her time in that job, she started going to DC Trans Coalition meetings and volunteering.

At the time, the DC Trans Coalition was looking to get the birth certificate and name change laws fixed in DC. Having just gained experience working with Councilmembers, Andrea was recommended to be the point person to get this law changed. It turned out she loved it, and it led her to discover new issues she was passionate about.

“As I was trying to recruit people to testify and to go meet Councilmembers, I ended up coming face-to-face with more of the immediate survival concerns of community members. From here I realized there were so many more issues I wanted to work on.”

After lobbying for the birth certificate bill in March 2012, Andrea continued to volunteer with the DC Trans Coalition and decided she wanted to take on more issues – from homeless shelters to health insurance, all while starting her first year of graduate school. While in school, the National Center for Transgender Equality asked Andrea to run their lobby day, which was the start of her time as Policy Associate with the organization.

While at NCTE, Andrea helped put together their 10th anniversary fundraiser, as well as was tackling DC trans health insurance reform. Just a few months ago, after about a year with the organization, Andrea made the move north to New York. It was then that she decided to apply for the position at Garden State Equality, believing her leadership experience in fundraising, organizing, and political work made her a good fit for the organization — and she was right!

Although she has only been with GSE for a little less than two months, she has already begun to chart the organization’s post-marriage work. In just this short time, the organization has helped an LGBT senior couple get protections following an alleged hate crime and joined a coalition of groups that are trying to bring residence accountability to the Newark police force. This week, they are starting one of many workshops with LGBT homeless youth to find means of improving the social service system. And after a transgender middle schooler made it known that she needed to find a safe place to go to school, GSE stepped in, and on October 1st they are training the entire school district’s set of guidance counselors in LGBT sensitivity.

When asked what is she most excited about tackling in her first year, Andrea said:

“I am excited to teach the state about the organization’s post-marriage work. Even though it did other work, Garden State Equality was very heavily identified with marriage equality, so I think a lot of people in the state don’t necessarily recognize what the rest of the portfolio will look like post-marriage. Now, we get to plan and execute that work — we get to teach the state. People who aren't necessarily immersed in the movement think marriage is the end of the road. They ask, ‘if you won marriage, why do you still exist?’ So it is our job to show them it is because there are entire populations that still need support.”

Andrea is leading the organization beyond marriage to prioritizing economic justice, racial equality, anti-violence programs, and working with seniors, among many other things. She is working towards achieving full lived equality for LGBT New Jerseyans.

“I define lived equality as ensuring that the policies and community resources are in place to make sure that all LGBT people are able to fulfill their inherent capacities. The ultimate goal is to get rid of the barriers that exist to our community being able to live the best lives possible. We get there by bringing our deep network of political and community allies together to bring resources to bear on different struggles – from hate crime protections, to addressing police brutality, to ending bullying and school pushout. It takes being really creative with the resources that we built up through the course of our existence to ensure our community is able to thrive.”

Congratulations to Andrea Bowen on her new position at Garden State Equality! We’re thrilled to welcome you to the state-based movement, and we look forward to the great work that’s ahead!