Board of Directors
Board Member
Crystal Mason
(they/them)
A Richmond-born artist, culture tender, and community strategist rooted in Black, queer, fat, feminist, and liberatory traditions, Crystal has spent more than 30 years nurturing QTBIPOC arts spaces and leading visionary projects at the intersection of liberation, storytelling, and cultural transformation.
Board Member
Raffi Freedman-Gurspan
(she/her)
A policy leader and advocate, Raffi currently serves as Associate Director at Massachusetts’ Federal Funds & Infrastructure Office. Formerly the first openly transgender staffer at the White House, she brings deep expertise in government, advocacy, and human rights.
Meet The Team
2026-2027 Public History Intern in Partnership with the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at Christopher Newport University
Melodie Moore
(any pronouns)
A student, advocate, and researcher, Melodie explores queer and trans history through the lenses of cultural identity salience and how political systems influence formation of identity.
Past Interns & Team Members
2025-2026 Public History Intern in Partnership with the Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies at the College of Charleston
Charlotte Nicely
(she/they)
Charlotte is works to advance the public’s understanding of the Holocaust, how it affected queer and trans people, and how we can prevent homophobia and transphobia from reaching such extremes again.
2025-2026 Public History Intern in Partnership with the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at Christopher Newport University
Sam Ellyson
(he/him)
As a student of history, political science, human rights, and education, Sam seeks to ensure that the public is knowledgeable about the past so they can inform the present and future.
2024-2025 Public History Intern In Partnership with the Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies at the College of Charleston
Gabby Perales
(she/her)
With a research interest in the transmission of intergenerational trauma, Gabby is dedicated to sharing the narratives of underrepresented groups of the Holocaust.
2024 Public History Intern
In Partnership with the Zucker/Goldberg Center for Holocaust Studies at the College of Charleston
Natalie Peyton
(she/her)
Natalie is a graduate of the College of Charleston, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Jewish Studies. Her research revolves around genocide and the Holocaust, especially regarding the experiences of female resisters.
Advocates
Folks who volunteer their time, expertise, and efforts to support us are recognized as PTL Project Advocates. As a grassroots initiative, PTLP would not be possible without contributions from the following volunteer Advocates!
Research Advocate
Sonia Booth
(she/her)
Sonia is a museum educator residing in New Hampshire. In college, she studied Cultural Anthropology and she remains fascinated by people and their stories. She believes that stories have the power to change peoples’ hearts and to spur them into action that benefits the world.
Research Advocate
Sarah Ernst
(they/them)
Sarah Ernst is a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Southern California's Van Hunnick History Department. Their current dissertation project looks at queer persons also targeted by the Nazis in mass killing programs, including Jewish, Sinti/Roma, and disabled individuals.



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