Julia Peloso-Barnes's connection to the LGBTQ+ community and The LOFT run deep. Coming out while a student at SUNY Albany, she dove headfirst into activism. In June 1982 Julia led the SUNYA Gay and Lesbian Alliance in the Albany Pride March, spoke passionately on the steps of the Capitol Building calling for the passage of SONDA, and brought the student group to the NYC Pride March for the first time.

Julia returned to Westchester, discovered bowling, and was a co-founder of Gotham Sports Association (GSA) which ran the Gotham Open, an annual IGBO bowling tournament in the NYC area. She first visited The LOFT in 1992 on Grove St. to invite the bowling league to join GSA and help host the 1994 Gay Games bowling event. The LOFT league continued to be part of GSA and Julia helped The LOFT’s league host the Gotham Open several times. She went on to serve as an officer in the bowling league, as well as on The LOFT's Board of Directors, most recently as President.

Julia is passionately collaborative and has always sought ways to bring people together. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Hope’s Door, a Hawthorne-based non-profit agency dedicated to eradicating domestic violence. Hope’s Door is committed to serving the entire LGBTQ+ community, and Julia has embraced the opportunity to serve as a bridge between Hope’s Door and The LOFT.

As a financial planner for more than 35 years, she dedicates time to improving financial awareness in our community and is committed to helping as many people as she can regardless of their financial situation. Julia met her wife Patty serving on the board at The LOFT, and they live in Bronxville, in the house in which Julia grew up.