Jennifer Barnes-Balenciaga (she/her)

Jennifer Barnes-Balenciaga (she/her), newlywed, Mrs. McQueen, transitioned to Manhattan after being an 11-year resident of Atlanta. As the first LGBTQ+ liaison in Georgia as appointed by State Representative Park Cannon of District 58 in January 2018 and parted from the position in September 2022, during that time Jennifer Barnes-Balenciaga has been the contributor to many Atlanta political and governmental legislation such as HB290, has collaborated to commemorate many Georgia LGBTQ+ leaders, including Miss Lawrence Balenciaga, and helps lead many queer movements within her community (World AIDS Day events, HIV testing initiatives, Black/LGBTQ+Pride/rallies, etc.).

She is currently the Director of the Crystal La’Beija Organizing Fellowship (CLOF), was an on-the-ground HIV Prevention Specialist, and continues to act as a volunteer around many HIV-related initiatives. Jennifer has also been a Youth Policy HIV Advisor for Georgia Equality and has presented at many HIV-related conferences, such as NAESM, USCA, and even at congressional gatherings through AIDSWatch. The multi-awarded Barnes-Balenciaga hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and has been seen on Season 2 of POSE FX. She has been published in many distinguished publications, such as The New York Times, TEENVogue, Harvard Public Health & VeryWellHealth, to name a few.

She holds numerous organizational and committee affiliations: newly mayoral appointed Commissioner for NYC Commission on Gender Equity (CGE), Co-Investigator for RESPND-MI (MPX-NYC), Vice President of Cincinnati Black Pride, Social Media Committee Chair for Sankofa Black Women’s Conference, and is a member of the illustrious House of Balenciaga, a leading institution in the House and Ballroom Scene.

She recently graduated from BMCC, on the Dean’s List, with an AA in Political Science and is now attending Baruch College to finish her BA in Political Science with a Law Minor.