Julian Cyr (pronouns he/him/his) serves in the Massachusetts Senate, representing Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. First elected to the State Senate in November 2016, Julian is among the youngest senators in the 40-member body. He serves as the Senate Assistant Majority Whip, Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, and on committees with oversight of health care financing, housing, elder affairs, telecommunications, utilities and energy, and racial equity and inclusion.

Julian’s legislative priorities are primarily informed by the unique needs of the Cape and Islands district and his perspective as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He has championed policies related to housing, water quality, the climate crisis, harm reduction, and criminal justice reform. Julian authored the landmark law, An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health, which represents the most comprehensive reform to mental health care in Massachusetts in decades.  In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Julian ensured that protections for access to gender-affirming care were included in a larger reproductive rights package that was signed into law. 

Julian’s leadership goes beyond his legislative accomplishments. He convened the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force to create a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the threat of Mpox affecting the region, he worked to deploy hundreds of vaccines in a matter of days, and he helped navigate the path forward for Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard in an episode that captured national and worldwide attention. He was also named to Out magazine’s Out100 in 2022.  

Julian has extensive experience in public policy, health advocacy, organizing, and social justice. Prior to his election, he served as director of policy and regulatory affairs for environmental health at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He also previously served as the department’s deputy director for government affairs under Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick, a role in which he worked closely with members of the Legislature. From 2011-2017, Julian also served on the Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth, including a highly productive tenure as chair in 2013 and 2014. 

Julian got an early start in public advocacy as a 16-year-old high school student, organizing a student-led effort at town meetings in Brewster, Eastham, Orleans, and Wellfleet to fully fund quality education in local public schools. Later, Julian led grassroots organizing on the Cape and Islands for the successful reelection campaigns of Governor Deval Patrick and President Barack Obama. He interned at the White House, where he contributed to green jobs policy and energy efficiency for the Council on Environmental Quality during the Obama Administration. He also worked for the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative and as a harm-reduction counselor at the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. From 2014 - 2017, Julian served on the Board of Directors of Health Imperatives, a nonprofit health and human services agency that provides comprehensive services to thousands of families and individuals in Southeastern Massachusetts. 

Julian graduated with a degree in public policy and community health from New York University, where he led undergraduate student government and initiated a community-based model of on-campus HIV screening and prevention. He participated in Harvard Business School's Summer Venture in Management Program, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation’s Massachusetts Institute for Community Health Leadership, and the LBGTQ+ Victory Institute's David Bohnett Leaders Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School's Senior Executives in State and Local Government program. Julian was the alumni speaker at the 2024 commencement for NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

Julian’s parents were the longtime proprietors of Adrian’s Restaurant, a beloved Truro destination for 28 years. Growing up, he worked in the restaurant for 14 seasons, where he washed dishes, cooked behind the line in the kitchen, waited tables, and managed staff. Julian will tell you that he learned some of the most useful skills from waiting tables and cooking behind the line.