613: Brian P. McGunagle – Building LGBTQ+ Community, One Community At a Time

Life (UN)Closeted: LGBTQ+ Coming Out Stories & Advice for living out and proud!

What do you do when you move from NYC to the Connecticut burbs to create LGBTQ+ Community? You literally create it yourself. Showing us the path on how to do that in any community, is Brian P. McGunagle founder of Westport Pride. Learn how he, his husband and kids are living out loud and proud in a small town community that has even battle the wars of book bans.

About Brian

Brian is the founder of Westport Pride. Having moved to Westport with his husband in 2016, he was curious about what the LGBTQ+ community looked like and moreover where they were. In the fall of 2020, during COVID, he posed these questions to the residents of Westport through a story featured on the popular 06880 blog. The outpouring was overwhelming, and in 2021, Westport Pride was born.

Brian is an active volunteer in Westport and serves on the Board of Directors at Positive Directions, Downtown Plan Implementation Committee, Aspetuck Health District Community Needs Advisory Committee, and The Westport Library Common Ground Initiative. Brian also represents Westport Pride during TEAM Westport meetings.

Brian has spent over 20 years in various senior positions within the financial services, retail energy, and residential real estate sectors. He holds a bachelor's degree from Trinity College and an MBA from Fordham University. Though currently on sabbatical, he is also a Postulant for Priesthood with the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

Brian lives in Westport with his husband Stephen Gustafson, their two children, several silkie chickens, and their moyen poodle Gracie. He enjoys gardening, carpentry, and going to Compo Beach in his spare time.

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