Hi! I'm maxim
they / them
My work is focused on building a community for LGBTQ+ immigrants, many of whom asylums seekers and refugees escaping life-threatening environments. I truly believe that work I do is transformative, as it creates spaces and opportunities in cultural deserts where virtually none have existed before. As a queer immigrant, I want everybody to find places where they truly feel like home. And not the home they left, but the home they always dreamed and traveled the world to build for themselves.
My Story
I was born in Brooklyn to a Jewish-Ukrainian mother and Persian-Armenian-Kalmyk father. My maternal family came to the USA in the 70s, and my grandmother and great-grandfather were Jewish refugees from the collapsing and nationalistic post-Soviet Russa. I grew up in Moscow, Russia where both my parents worked. We had a good life, but when Putin was re-elected in 2012, I decided to move back to United States in hope of a better future. In Brooklyn, I was living in Section 8 housing with my grandma who had Medicaid and food stamps. I attended a public FDR High School in Brooklyn and got my bachelors’ degree in English and Arts Administration from CUNY Baruch College. My first job in NYC was for The Roundabout Theater Company, and my first job out of college was Park Avenue Armory. I have also worked as a part time teaching artist for the past 6 years, teaching art to children all over our public school system from Sunset Park to many schools in every part of The Bronx.
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NYC is my resume, my playground, my canvass and my community. I wouldn’t be able to build such a unique yet fulfilling career that I have today anywhere else in the world. The education I received, the friends and connections I made, the exposure to so much arts and culture here have all shaped me into the individual, educator, artist and professional that I am today. And none of it would be possible without the city that I love and revere so much.
South Brooklyn is getting more conservative.
Although New York City has some of the most progressive laws regarding immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, queer immigrants often experience discrimination and lack support from their ethnic diasporas due to conservative and often homophobic attitudes and norms.
This is especially predominant in Southern Brooklyn (SB*), where yours truly was born, grew up and live now (as well as). We see this especially in Russian-speaking Brighton Beach and Coney Island, where both the complete lack of visibility and representation and cultural hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community makes these areas less safe for everybody.
As a local activist, community-builder and drag performer and event producer, My goal and vision is to continue creating events, spaces and opportunities for intersectional groups of queer immigrants to feel safe, accepted and welcomed.
Fellowships and Awards
Princeton University
Race Relations Award
Zioness
Pride Fellowship
baruch college
DAVID AND LILLIAN SWERDLOW
press
Maxxxim isn’t just a friend—he’s a true mentor. His support has been genuine and unwavering, helping me find the confidence to revive my queen, Scarlet. In the toughest moments, when I felt lost, Maxxxim was there to lift me up. He not only inspired me to embrace drag again but showed me that being true to myself is something to be proud of, not ashamed of.
As a mentor, Maxxxim shared his experience, offered advice, and never hesitated to invest his time in helping me become the best version of myself. I’m endlessly grateful that he was there when I needed him the most.