Gerald Garth
United States
He/Him
President Emeritus, Christopher Street West
Gerald Garth is a storyteller, faith leader, advocate, and executive committed to helping people and communities heal, grow, and thrive. His work has taken him from ministry to public health, from community organizing to executive leadership, always centered around one core belief: that transformation begins when people feel seen, valued, and empowered.
As CEO of AMAAD Institute and former President of LA Pride / Christopher Street West, Gerald has spent his career building bridges across faith, justice, wellness, and culture. Through speaking, leadership, and storytelling, he strives to create spaces where truth, healing, and hope can coexist.
Gerald's memoir, Son, Rise, Son, Shine, is an extension of that work, a deeply personal reflection on faith, identity, resilience, and becoming.
Steps to Liberation
Pride Began as Liberation
For more than five decades, Christopher Street West (CSW) has celebrated, uplifted, advocated for, and protected LGBTQ+ communities.
As CSW President Emeritus, Gerald Garth reflects on Pride’s beginnings as protest and honors visionaries like Rev. Troy Perry, who refused to wait for permission to affirm LGBTQ+ humanity and instead created sanctuary, community, and hope.
Today, says Gerald, the Steps of Liberation stand as a testament to the resilience, faith, protest, and courage of those who dared to move forward when the path ahead was uncertain.
