About Us

Danielle Samuel, Ph.D., LMFT (she/her) immigrated from the Caribbean in 2012 and proudly identifies as Bisexual. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and an Assistant Professor at California State University, Northridge (CSUN).  Dr. Samuel has presented on inclusive topics such as managing bisexual visibility in academia; media representation of bisexuality; and working with LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC survivors of interpersonal violence. She also participated on a panel for the Department of Mental Health at the 2019 LGBTQI2-S Mental Health Conference on intersections of race, culture, gender identity, sexual identity, disability, and age. She is rooted in a social justice orientation and is committed to advocacy and trauma-informed care through leadership, clinical practice, research, and consultancy. Dr. Samuel first served on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Bi Task Force in 2020-2021 and returned in Summer 2024, and lives in Los Angeles.

Eric V. Beck (he/him) is in ordained ministry and has served as an elected leader in the Presbyterian Church (USA) above the church level. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to both vote to ratify a change to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), making full LGBTQ+ inclusion a reality, and that he came out on the floor of the General Assembly during open debate. Eric is formerly active with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE Justice) where he 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, and is a board member for the South Bay LGBTQ Center. Eric co-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 and served as President 2022-2024. In his free time Eric runs a D&D campaign, and is an avid Star Trek and Doctor Who fan. He lives in San Pedro with his wife and their dog.

Aaron Hammersley (any/all pronouns) is a filmmaker grateful for a multi-disciplinary career that includes film, television, animation, music videos and commercials. Over his 16 year in the industry, he has worked for every major studio, event produced 80+ Hollywood red carpet premieres and film festivals, and worked with a vast collection of big-name talent. Aaron grew up a lover of The Arts and continues to sing, perform and write whenever possible. In his spare time, he is an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community including working for more inclusive representation in front and behind the camera. In 2024, he co-authored the first comprehensive guide to portraying bi+ characters in film and television. Aaron began volunteering for LABTF in 2023 and joined the board in Summer 2024. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Taylor MacDonald (he/him) is a hotelier, writer, and proud bisexual advocate committed to expanding visibility, equity, and joy within the Bi+ community. He currently leads hotel sales for a luxury lifestyle hotel collection in West Hollywood, where he develops strategic marketing campaigns, cultivates partnerships, and produces events that celebrate culture and connection. Taylor’s nonprofit work includes mentoring and training women in Cambodia through Café Eden’s grassroots economic initiatives, advocating for survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry with Unsilenced's Project Speak, serving as a transcriptionist for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and volunteering with Still Bisexual and LABTF. With a strong focus on building relationships and amplifying marginalized voices, Taylor strives to ensure Bi+ people of all identities and experiences feel seen, celebrated, and connected. He joined the LABTF Board in the Summer 2025 and resides in Los Angeles.

Charmeé Taylor (she/her) is a proud bisexual actor, the author of Confessions of a Bisexual: An Interactive Memoir for Baby Gays and content creator (bi_astrology & thegoodbipodcast). She is based in Los Angeles CA but is from a small town in Pennsylvania called State College, where she attended Pennsylvania State University and Studied drama. She has  written for Salty, Hello Giggles, Bisexual Resource Center and Unicorn Zine.  She centers most of her work on relationships, coming out later in life and bisexual representation in TV and film. She was lead in a short film titled Lucky that premiered at HBO’s Outfest and won the Love is Love category at the Queen Palm film festival. When she's not creating  astrology memes, you can find her drinking iced oat milk matcha lavender lattes under the LA sun listening to the same bisexual moody playlist on Spotify. Charmeé joined the LABTF board in early 2026 and lives in Los Angeles.

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.

Mike served on the early leadership of LABTF and rejoined in early 2022 and was an active board member until late 2024, serving a total of four years. During his tenure, he served as the Board Secretary, launched and coordinated the Bi+ Blog,  served on the Education Team and B+ Well 2024 Team, moderated 2 Bi-alogue panels,  and coordinated tabling and other community events. Mike brought in other board members, has generously hosted two holiday parties, two board member retreats and our 2009 Kickoff Party at his Hollywood home, "The House That Bisexuality Built." As a bi elder and true #BiCon, we thank him for his longtime advocacy both within and outside LABTF.