For Pride Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ workers who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Sasha Romero of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
Local 802 member Sasha Romero, principal trombone of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, is the first transgender person to hold a principal brass seat in a major U.S. orchestra. She says the visibility afforded by her position gives her both a platform and responsibility to help lift up others in the community. Romero strives to find ways for LGBTQ+ students to be seen and heard. “Trans students often reach out to me, and I offer them a safe space to talk,” she said. Outside of the studio, Romero acknowledges her position as a prominent example for others. “LGBTQ+ musicians often tell me that my simply existing in this role has helped them to see that their own aspirations are possible. If you don’t see yourself out there, you begin to doubt you can do it.”