About Us

Dr. Mimi Hoang (she/her) is an internationally-recognized psychologist, educator, and activist specializing in the LGBTQ+ and Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities. She came to the U.S. at a young age as a refugee from Vietnam, and grew up in Sacramento but has since resided in SoCal. Since the 1990s, Dr. Mimi has co-founded three bi+ orgs - the Los Angeles Bi Task Force, amBi Los Angeles, and Fluid at UCLA. Her steadfast leadership has earned her a seat at the landmark 2013 White House Bisexual Community Roundtable and being named “One of the Most Significant Women in the Bisexual Movement.” Dr. Mimi currently works as the Interim Coordinator of Training at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Clinical Supervisor of the LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy Center at Airport Marina Counseling Service, a consultant/trainer on diversity and intersectionality, and creator of the "Bi on Life" self-empowerment series and Bi+ Women's Space support group in Los Angeles. ​​She lives in the South Bay with her wife and two rescue cats. www.drmimihoang.com 

 Eric V. Beck (he/him) is in ordained ministry, serves as an elected leader in the Presbyterian Church (USA) above the church level, is a member of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE Justice), and has advocated for economic and social justice issues before local government bodies. He is a member of several bi+ and LGBTQ+ organizations, including amBi LA, Bridge Cities Alliance, the Organizing 501(c)3 for PRIDE on The Port of Los Angeles, the South Bay LGBTQ Center, More Light Presbyterians and the Covenant Presbyterians, two organizations within the Presbyterian Church (USA) that advocate for full LGBTQ+ inclusion, and was able to vote to ratify a change to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), making full LGBTQ+ inclusion a reality. Eric leads the Bi & Beyond discussion group at the South Bay LGBTQ Center in Torrance, CA. He spoke at Joe Jerry Mussari's Memorial in 2019 and joined the LABTF Board in early 2021. In his free time Eric is an avid Star Trek and Doctor Who fan and lives in San Pedro with his wife and their dog.

Mike Szymanski (he/him), is a journalist, activist, film critic, author and educator who has written about bi+ issues since he came out on "The Phil Donahue Show" in 1991. An award-winning journalist with a mission to educate the world about bisexuality, he served as the National Media Liaison for BiNet USA in the 1990s and won the first-ever Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Books for co-authoring The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe.  Mike has appeared on 50+ talk shows, taught journalism classes at UCLA Extension for nearly 30 years, and worked at the Atlanta Constitution, Entertainment Weekly, US Magazine, The Los Angeles Times and Daily News. He served as the National Bisexuality Examiner for Examiner.com and wrote for BiMagazine.org, The Advocate, The Washington Blade and other BLGT publications, and was honored with Sara Ramirez and other prominent bi+ activists during the Stonewall 50th Anniversary. He served on the early leadership of LABTF and rejoined in early 2022, and currently lives in Hollywood with his dachshunds in “The House that Bisexuality Built,” but that’s another story.

RJ Aguiar (he/him) is an internationally recognized producer, advocate, and social media personality whose work has been featured by such outlets as Buzzfeed, Upworthy, HuffPost, Out, New Rockstars, and REMEZCLA. As a performer and personality, he is best known for his video content for pages like "Blossom," "What's Trending," "FLAMA," "Shep689," and "TheNotAdam," as well as his appearances in films and series such as "Eastsiders," "Kiss Me Kill Me," and "Such Good People." As a digital producer and strategist, he's partnered with Amazon Prime, Snapchat, Tinder, Hulu, Canon, GLAAD, It Gets Better, and HealthCare.gov. RJ has received accolades including YouTube's "NextUp Class of 2013," The Advocate's "40 Under 40" list, and 6 Clio Awards. As an advocate, he was a founder and head of social media for the #ResistMarch, and has spoken on bi+/queer issues, intersectionality, digital ethics, and healthcare equality at venues such as VidCon, San Diego Comic Con, and The White House. He joined the LABTF board in early 2022, lives in Los Angeles, and is the creator, producer, and host of the explainer series "Quick Question…"

Denise Penn, LCSW (she/her), is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, currently providing support to clients at the LGBTQ Center Orange County in addition to providing mental health services at a south county high school. She also worked as a Hospice Social Worker providing support for terminal patients. In addition, Denise served as an a advocacy journalist and editor in LGBTQ print and television media for over 2 decades, including producing and hosting an award-winning LGBT community television program for twelve years. She became involved with BiNet USA and was President from 2003 to 2005 and at the invitation of Dr. Fritz Klein, moved on to join the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Bisexuality until 2015. During that time Denise collaborated with other organizations and had the honor of presenting the Mental Health portion of the White House Bisexual Community Roundtable in 2013 with Dr. Mimi. She is also an elected member of her County Central Committee and an Executive Committee member of the California Democratic Party and serves as a Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Caucus. Denise joined the LABTF board in Spring 2022 and lives in Orange County.

Ariane Thielenhaus (she/her) brings 10 years of experience in the social impact and nonprofit sectors to the LABTF board, having worked on a wide range of impact areas including: women's rights, homelessness, workforce development, youth empowerment and environmental conservation. As a co-founder and principal consultant of Good Bones Consulting, she now focuses on helping purpose-driven organizations improve how they get important things done, with the goal of maximizing impact and effectiveness. Ariane's career has been rooted in the belief that a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society, is a better society for all. She is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and first-generation German-American born in Michigan. Ariane holds a Master's Degree in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California, and is multilingual. She started volunteering with LABTF in early 2022 and joined the Board that Fall. Ariane lives in Los Angeles.