Catching up with Gay Former Senator Barrios

It’s been a little over a year since Jarrett Barrios, the first openly gay man to win election to the state Senate, left Beacon Hill to head the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the healthcare philanthropy that was a driving force behind the enactment of the state’s landmark health insurance reform law. For those of you wondering what he’s been up to since he left the political stage, we recently did a quick catch-up with Barrios and got the scoop.

For one thing, the man who was a leader on LGBT issues in the legislature has managed to continue that advocacy in his new post by working with BCBSF board chair Phil Johnston to expand the criteria for the administration of the foundation’s grants so that healthcare disparities within the LGBT community can be researched and remedied. “It’s a lot less dramatic than gay marriage,” said Barrios, who served a total of nine years in the legislature, first as a state representative and later in the Senate.

Read the rest at baywindows.com.