Nina Zaretsky

Advisory Committee Member, Founding Board Member

Country of origin/association:

Minsk, Belarus

Being a bisexual immigrant from Belarus, Nina joined QARAVAN in 2012 in search of social connections, friendship, and community. Nina became involved in volunteering with QARAVAN and LGBTQ activism, organizing various protests, developing RUSA events, and welcoming refugees.

She served as a co-president of QARAVAN when it was a grassroots community group, from 2013 to 2017. Nina remembers that when Russia passed its first anti-“gay propaganda” laws in 2013, the first time Nina marched with QARAVAN in the NYC Pride, it became a primarily political protest event for the group rather than just a joyful celebration of our community.