The strides that the LGBTQ+ community has made toward wider cultural acceptance in both music and society should not be understated, nor should the work that still needs to be done.
This year, Pride Month comes at a perilous time for queer and trans people. A flood of anti-LGBTQ+ bills threatens to weaken rights and erode protections for the community across the United States, while internationally, discriminatory rhetoric continues to endanger global conversations about the space the queer community occupies.
But in the music industry, LGBTQ+ artists keep breaking new ground with each passing year. The same can be said for the professionals who work behind the scenes to effect change at their companies and in the business at large.
As a major player in the RIAA’s West Coast division, Flatow regularly can be found fighting for music makers in California. “I’m proud of helping to represent the most dynamic and impactful industry in the world in the most creative of states and to keep policymakers informed of our member companies’ dynamism, innovation and social conscience,” he says.