Our Founder, David Acosta

Galaei was founded by poet, artist and activist David Acosta. Galaei's original focus was to serve queer Latinx men in the middle of the HIV epidemic, by providing access to the resources that were often scarce. This vision came to light when he was appointed to the Mayor's Commission on sexual minorities. Being in this position allowed him to see what services were needed in the community. David Acosta (Also known as Juan Armando David Acosta Posada) is a writer poet, cultural worker and co founder of Casa de Duende, along with his life partner Jerry Macdonald. He has served on a wide range of committees and boards, including past work with the Philadelphia International Film Festival, The Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, The PA Council on the Arts, as well as a founding member of Our Living Legacy (1988), the nation's first festival devoted to art and AIDS. In 1993 he served on the East Market Street Sculpture Review Committee, which selected artist Raymond Sandoval’s Tanamend sculpture from among more than 3,000 artist proposals. He was a founding member of The Latin American Writers Collective, Desde Este Lado, as well as the magazine that bore its name. He was also a co-founder of the Philadelphia Working Fund for Artists with HIV/AIDS. In 1989 he curated the Pieces of Life Project at Taller Puertorriqueño which brought the National Names Project (Originators of the AIDS Quilt Project) to Philadelphia, and specifically to a Latino community in a large metropolitan city, at that time a first for the Names Project. He has been involved in many boards including Taller Puertorriqueño, The Asian Arts Initiative, Spiral Q Puppet Theater, the Bread & Roses Community Fund, The AIDS Law Project, The Philadelphia AIDS Walk, The Legacy Fund, The Center for Lesbian, Gay Law and Public Policy, and served as an advisor to the American Friends Services Committee Latin American and Caribbean Desk among many others. He was also the first Latino appointed to the Philadelphia Mayor's Commission on Sexual Minorities form 1985-1989. Source: https://davinciartalliance.org/david-acosta "A lot of the work I've done has been informed by feminism: Both queer theory and organizing came out of that." - David Acosta