In November when Kent State's N.J. Akbar Ph.D., won a seat to Akron's school board, he became one of the nation’s few out Muslim elected officials, according to The Advocate magazine, one of the leading LGBTQ+ news sources for 50 years.
The Advocate recently highlighted Akbar's work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community by including him in the 2020 Champions of Pride issue, which profiles LGBTQ+ activists, artists, politicians, and more from each state who are changing the world for the better.
The Advocate says "each Champion is a fine example of how LGBTQ+ people can make a difference in local communities and beyond. But this year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Pride, we’ve taken the 'Champions' to another level — virtual reality to be exact. For the first time in The Advocate's history, the magazine is "spotlighting diverse, queer-identifying change makers with the help of Snapchat’s stunning Augmented Reality and Lens creator community."
For the future, Akbar has high aspirations for the lives of people in the LGBTQ+ community.
“In this next year, my hope is that all citizens, including those of us within the LGBTQ+ community, are able to live our lives authentically and unashamedly,” Akbar says.