Meet the 2012 Point Scholars

Josh Blecher-Cohen

Harvard College
Philosophy & Classics

Growing up in New York City and suburban New Jersey in a politically active home, Josh Blecher‐Cohen has always had an interest in social justice. It started as a high school sophomore working as a student organizer for Amnesty International. Meanwhile, he was beginning to put a label on his sexuality and coming out as a bisexual man. Eventually Blecher-Cohen’s identities as a human rights advocate and queer man intersected.

Out at school, Blecher-Cohenhelped found a gay‐straight alliance that grew to 90 members. As GSA president, he also led regional youth outreach initiatives, founding and leading a countywide coalition of more than 20 GSAs across northern New Jersey.

As an intern with Garden State Equality, he helped coordinate anti‐bullying initiatives. He's also interned at the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & AIDS Project. He's also a National Merit Scholar and United States Presidential Scholar.

After experiencing biphobic remarks, Blecher-Cohen became interested in their marginalization within the LGBT community. He's conducted research attempting to integrate considerations of bisexuality into areas of study as varied as queer theory and Judaic legal tradition. Blecher-Cohen hopes to work in public interest law with a focus on civil rights issues.