As a communications consultant for Garden State Equality, Jay assists the organization with web design, CRM management, graphic design, content writing, and more. They support other LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofits in a similar capacity.
Before becoming a freelance communications consultant, Jay was Director of Communications at the National Center for Transgender Equality (now Advocates for Trans Equality), where they led a team that used innovative tactics to push back against harmful Trump administration policies. This included creating the viral #WontBeErased hashtag and running the Protect Trans Health campaign, which eventually spurred over 20,000 community members to submit comments to the Trump administration opposing a discriminatory healthcare regulation. Jay has been featured in major media outlets including CNN, NBC, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, and The Cut.
Prior to their time at NCTE, Jay was an Obama political appointee in the press office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Jay received their B.A. in linguistics with minors in English literature and gender and sexuality studies from Swarthmore College. Originally from Hong Kong, they now live in Chicago with their partner and two cats.