Mathew Shurka

Mathew Shurka is a prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate whose work has advanced child protection through comprehensive legislative reform. As Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of Born Perfect, he has successfully secured conversion therapy bans across 27 U.S. states and more than 120 cities, establishing protections for LGBTQ+ youth nationwide.

A conversion therapy survivor, Mathew endured five years of discredited treatments from ages 16-21, including enforced family separation. This experience informed his advocacy approach when he co-founded Born Perfect with The National Center for Lesbian Rights in 2014. His methodology centers survivor voices while building coalitions among legal professionals, mental health experts, and policymakers to achieve legislative change.

Mathew's influence extends beyond state policy. He regularly engages with Congress on federal legislation to end government funding of conversion therapy and has utilized media platforms to educate the public about harmful practices. His work has influenced international advocacy efforts, with organizations worldwide adopting similar survivor-centered approaches.

His contributions to LGBTQ+ visibility include working with the Unicode Consortium in 2016 to help create the rainbow flag emoji. He was recognized on OUT Magazine's OUT100 list in 2018 for his advocacy achievements.

Mathew lives in New York City with his fiancé Lisle Richards and their Bouvier des Flandres, Tony.