Kate Clinton is an LGBTQ+ icon. Her career as a beloved American humorist spans four decades and countless stand up comedy tours, essays, and books. Among notable career achievements, Clinton starred on Broadway as the Narrator in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and performed on Cyndi Lauper's True Colors tour. Along the way, she has been honored with "Pioneer Awards" from both GLAAD Media and Lambda Literary. For over 30 years, Clinton and her partner, the acclaimed activist and author Urvashi Vaid, shared a rich life and deep commitment to justice and equality. Vaid passed away in May 2022, but the positive change they manifested together lives on. The Monette-Horwitz Trust is pleased to honor Clinton for personifying what it means to live life authentically and in doing so, inspiring generations of LGBTQ+ people to do the same. Kate Clinton on Ted Talk  [back]

At 19, activist Olivia Julianna garnered fame when she took on Republican bully Matt Gaetz who tried to body-shame her for her challenging anti-abortion legislation in Texas (2021). In a dynamic social media campaign Olivia raised over $2 million which she dedicated to supporting abortion funding across the US. Olivia has been appointed Director of Politics and Government Affairs for GenZ for Change, and was a guest of President Biden at his State of the Union address in 2023. She is a political science major at the University of Texas. Olivia identifies as a plus-size queer Mexican woman, and at MoHo she is a hero and role model for younger activists everywhere.GenZ for Change  [back]

Desmond Napoles. We are in a time of crisis for our Queer youth, especially if they are gender nonconforming or trans-identified. The Monette-Horwitz Trust is pleased to honor and amplify the impact of Desmond Napoles, the "Drag Kid," for their willingness to be out and proud and to fight for acceptance and change. Their stage name "Desmond is Amazing" says it all: it's a way of being, a way of living, and an assertion. Desmond has written a children's book and launched a clothing line to exemplify self-expression beyond the gender binary. We celebrate Desmond's bravery—and fabulousness. This kind of courage embodies the mission of the Monette-Horwitz Trust: to fight homophobia, transphobia, and the marginalization of Queer folks every way we can.Desmond Is Amazing  [back]

Among his many accomplishments, Jonah Scott Mendelsohn, actor, singer, and writer, and graduate of Vassar College, recently adapted Paul Monette's 1988 poetry collection Love Alone: 18 Elegies for Rog, into a solo stage play in New York City. Mendelsohn's timely effort keeps Paul's work alive and gives voice back to a lost generation of the first decade of the HIV/AIDS crisis. In the Preface to the book Paul wrote, "When I began to write about AIDS during Roger's illness, I wanted a form that would move with breathless speed, so I could scream if I wanted." Mendelsohn's interpretations of Love Alone are original, profound, and moving. https://www.jonahscottmendelsohn.com/  [back]

Dr. James A. Mikokis is a Nehiyo family physician of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. An internationally recognized leader of Indigenous and transgender healthcare, Dr. Makokis operates from a platform he calls "Brave Advocacy." Makokis has served on numerous commissions and addressed the United Nations on Indigenous health and Covid-19. Makokis and husband Anthony Johnson (Dine/Navajo), made history as the first Two-Spirit couple to win "The Amazing Race: Canada" (2019). The Monette-Horwitz Trust honors Dr. James Makokis for their tireless work in bringing awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women, to protecting trans-people of Canada, and for being a good person who fosters the brilliance of queer spirit. https://www.drjamesmakokis.com/  [back]

Previous Awardees

2022 Awards

KOURAJ KOURAJ is a group of masisi (queer) activists in Haiti, created to organize other LGBTQ+ persons regarding their fundamental human rights. KOURAJ seeks to empower LGBTQ+ people to reinforce a visible, viable masisi community in Haiti. Masisi is a derogatory term used by Haitians against queer folk. KOURAJ speaks to the masisi community, which includes lesbians, gays, bisexuals, intersex persons, trans people, and all other persons who do not correspond to the cultural heterocentric norms violently imposed on them by Haitian society. The founding members of KOURAJ are the first Haitian masisi living in Haiti who are ready to take the risk to be publicly out in the media. https://www.kouraj.org/  [back]

Rainbow Railroad collaborates internationally with organizations and settlement teams to support LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers. The Rainbow Railroad has assisted thousands of queer people to escape violence and death by helping them arrive and settle into new free lives. They provide support with application processes, and help the newcomer resettle and adjust to their new homes. Settlement teams are integral to the newcomer adjustment process. Rainbow Railroad has helped queer refugees go from Chechnya to Canada, from Jamaica to Argentina, from Egypt to France, and recently helped 29 queer Afghanis resettle in the UK. Thanks to all the heroes of the Rainbow Railroad.
Rainbow Railroad on 60 Minutes  [back]

ORAM. Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration (ORAM) provides help to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees on the global stage. ORAM's services include legal assistance, advancing economic viability, and providing critical emergency response — such as their COVID-19 efforts — to queer refugees. The crisis at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya became a major focus in ORAM's efforts, collaborating with (Monette-Horwitz Awardee 2022) Rainbow Railroad. Their joint Kakuma research project has been endorsed by the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. It will provide accurate information on LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees living in the camp — a critical piece in more effective advocacy on behalf of those who need us most.
https://www.oramrefugee.org/  [back]

Rainbow Teens. DDing Dong Youth Crisis Support Center (Rainbow Teen). Korea is a culturally conservative society; homophobia is widespread there, in families, schools, religious centers, and on the streets. LGBTQ teens are often subject to emotional, verbal, and sometimes physical abuse. Many of them suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and are at a higher risk for suicide. Dding Dong Youth Crisis Support Center provides refuge in this hostile environment. Street Counseling (Phase I) of Rainbow Teen Safe Space will offer a multi-dimensional support system by providing crisis intervention, counseling teens for socio-psychological pain and trauma, and restoring relationships between queer teens and their parents and peers. They will create a Safe Space so that queer teens can feel accepted and affirmed.
www.globalgiving.org  [back]

The Monette-Horwitz Trust is pleased to recognize Chase Strangio for our 2022 Activism Award. Strangio is Deputy Director for Transgender Justice at the ACLU, and is a nationally recognized hero in impacting litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ Americans. At the ACLU since 2013, Strangio was lead counsel for trans-whistleblower Chelsea Manning, and represented high school transboy Gavin Grimm 2017 MoHo Awardee. Strangio also represented trans-American worker Aimee Stephens in a wrongful termination case before the Supreme Court, and was on the winning side in another labor decision in favor of gay-American Gerald Bostock, who sued Clayton County, Georgia. We look forward to many more years of Chase Strangio being a vibrant contributor to the eradication of homophobia and transphobia.

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ACTING LIKE WOMEN  tells the story of the California feminist performance art movement of the 1970s. At the film's center is the Woman's Building in Los Angeles – an incubator for some of the most innovative, fearless and still-relevant work in the history of performance art. It was a birthplace for radical new ideas that made the art world take notice and laid the groundwork for future art and social justice movements. They brought women's private experience into the public consciousness illuminating issues like sexual identity, equal pay, and violence against women. Feminist artists were passionate about social justice and caring for the earth, creating some the first eco-feminist artworks and exposing lesbian content.

https://seedandspark.com/fund/acting-like-women#story  [back]

2021 Awards

The Audre Lorde Project.The Audre Lorde Project For more than a quarter century, The Audre Lorde Project has carried on the powerful legacy of its namesake, Audre Lorde, who pioneered the idea of intersectionality decades ago, and whose work as a proud Black Lesbian Feminist paved the way for generations after her. The ALP provides important community organizing, focusing on social and economic justice, opportunity, and fighting discrimination against all members of the diverse LGBTQ+ community. The ALP's main work is in the New York City area, but their strategies and activism are a guiding model for other communities across the USA. We applaud the Audre Lorde Project's efforts to combat discrimination, sexism, racism, transphobia, and AIDSphobia. https://alp.org/ [back]

Triangle Project. In Cape Town, South Africa, the origins of the Triangle Project date back to 1981. The Triangle Project mission is to contribute to eradicating discrimination against and within LGBTQI+ communities, and to provide defined services to LGBTQI+ persons until they are no longer required. One of the largest queer organizations on the continent, the Triangle Project provides community services and support, as well as an active campaign to raise social awareness and eradicate homophobia. https://triangle.org.za/  [back]

Rainbow Bridge Asylum Seekers In response to the illegal and unprecedented actions of the xenophobic 45th president of the USA, sending lawful asylum seekers from many countries to refugee camps in Mexico, Rainbow Bridge Asylum Seekers was created as a support network for queer asylum candidates stuck in tents in Matamoros, Mexico. In these unsanitary found-object encampments, refugees have no institutional support or social services other than what's provided by volunteers and donations. Gender non-conforming refugees are at especially high risk of being victims of assault, robbery, and rape. Founded by Gaby Zavala in 2020, Rainbow Bridge Asylum Seekers provides food, medical care, legal aid, and emotional support for queer refugees who have fled their home countries because their lives were at risk. Rainbow Bridge Asylum Seekers Facebook page  [back]

David Weissman is a native Angeleno, Emmy Award nominated filmmaker, and longtime community activist. Of his nine films, he is best known for his documentaries "We Were Here" (2011), "The Cockettes" (2002), and "Conversations With Gay Elders." Weissman is an international lecturer, educator, and mentor. Also a longtime radical faerie, David is a community builder and inspiration to many. David Weissman Films  [back]

2020 Awards

alQaws or Sexual and Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, is a grassroots organization founded in 2007 and is at the forefront of Palestinian cultural and social change, building LGBTQ communities and promoting new ideas about the roles of gender and sexual diversity in political activism, social institutions, media, and everyday life. The vision of alQaws is to contribute to the building of a vibrant and just Palestinian society that celebrates diverse sexualities and gender identification. alqaws.org/siteEn/index  [back]

Prumsodon Ok. Born to Khmer (Cambodian) refugees in Los Angeles, Ok rose from the poverty and violence-stricken inner city to become the new face of Khmer dance. While the Khmer Rouge was executing artists and attempting to exterminate culture in Cambodia, Ok was studying Khmer traditional dance as a child in exile. He has since ventured to visit Cambodia where he founded its first all gay male dance company. He uses art to heal, illuminate, and empower, reviving the spirit of his people from the enduring forces of conflict. Seen by many as a champion of Khmer culture, his work as an artist, teacher, and writer helps to shape a world encouraging everyone to blossom into their fullest selves. www.prumsodun.com/
Ted Talk  [back]

Brandon Wolf hid in a bathroom while a gunman opened fire in Orlando's Pulse Nightclub in 2016, killing his two best friends and 47 others. Rather than be swallowed by the anger and fear of tragedy, Brandon set out to honor the victims' legacies with action. Brandon is co-founder and Vice President of The Dru Project, a nonprofit organization that works to empower youth and enable future leaders in the LGBTQ community. In 2018, he joined Parkland students in demanding change in Tallahassee and Washington, DC, and is a national advocate for common sense gun safety reform and LGBTQ civil rights. Brandon currently serves as the Media Relations Manager for Equality Florida, fighting to uproot hate and bigotry and secure full equality for all. The Dru Project  [back]

Terry Wolverton is the author of eleven books and a long-time activist and organizer for LGBTQ arts and culture of Los Angeles. Wolverton was co-founder of the Lesbian Art Project at the Woman's Building (1977-1980). She founded the Visions and Revisions writing program at Connexxus/Centro de Mujeres (1985-1987), and the Perspectives Writing Program at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (1988-1996). Wolverton has received awards for her activism from the Southern California Library for Social Research, Christopher Street West, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and the Gay and Lesbian Academic Union, and for her writing from the California Arts Council, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Publishing Triangle. In 1997, she founded Writers At Work, a creative writing center where she continues to teach several weekly workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and to provide creative consultations to writers. She is also Affiliate Faculty in the MFA Writing Program at Antioch University Los Angeles. Terry Wolverton website

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2019 Awards

Gaytino Dan Guerrero is a longtime Chicano and gay American activist. Simultaneously straddling multiple cultural identities, Dan has created an autobiographical performance piece entitled, GAYTINO! Made in America, a one-man show he is now filming, distributing, and promoting. http://www.gaytino.com  [back]

My.Kali is a regional online magazine in English and Arabic that has stirred a lot of public and political controversy over its challenging messages on gender and sexuality. Queer-led and very queer-oriented, My.Kali is based in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Considered the most important queer media outlet in Arabic, My.Kali has been operating for more than a decade, despite homophobic religious opposition. https://www.mykalimag.com/en/home-page/  [back]

Mawjoudin ("We Exist") is based in the Republic of Tunisia. Mawjoudin is an officially registered not-for-profit NGO that works towards achieving equality, human rights, bodily rights and sexual rights for the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups and individuals. They function as an LGBTQ community center providing social safe space for meetings, discussion groups, social functions, and a queer film festival. Mawjoudin also works within the legal and social structures to improve living conditions for LGBTQ people in Tunisia, combating homophobia. https://mawjoudin.org  [back]

REVASA is a hub of LGBT activities based in the Dominican Republic. They host an annual LGBTQ film festival, help organize the Pride Parade in Santo Domingo, and have been working in HIV prevention and education since 1989. They also work to develop human rights for queer people in the Dominican Republic. revasa.org  [back]

2018 Awards

History UnErased The mission of History UnErased is to bring LGBTQ history into all classrooms to create a more just and harmonious world. Most of us grew up in public or private schools that taught us nothing about queer history, a silence that denies a heritage of robust contributions to society. From poets to conquerors, farmers to astronauts, inventors to artists, queer people have been, and are, everywhere. History UnErased has created and offers supplemental educational programs for K-12 students to explore and learn about LGBTQ history. The destruction of ignorance through education has proven to be a central pathway toward eradicating homophobia. www.unerased.org  [back]

Out For Health, Out for Health, a division of Planned Parenthood, is a community-based online hub of information for LGBTQ people. This hub connects a variety of erotic and gender minority peoples with a variety of health care information and sources. They also educate people about access to health care, assistance with costs, and their rights regarding treatment and care. www.outforhealth.org.  [back]

Rainbow Street is a non-profit international non-government organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ people living in the Arab worlds of the Middle East and North Africa. Rainbow Street works with local activists and partner organizations to provide basic necessities of life, migration services, and community support to LGBTQ people facing extreme discrimination and oppression. Short term aid, long term solutions. https://www.rainbow-street.org  [back]

Tergo Tergo is a grassroots organization in the Ukraine helping to educate the public, and specifically families and friends of gay Ukrainians. Much like the American group PFLAG (MoHo Ally Award 2005), Tergo provides information and community support to potential heterosexual allies of the LGBT people of Ukraine. http://tergo.org.ua/?lang=en  [back]

The Monette-Horwitz Trust is pleased and honored to announce Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as this year's deserving recipient of our Ally Award. Making history on November 28, 2017, PM Trudeau made a formal and heartfelt apology to LGBTQ2 people of Canada for all of the wrongdoings and crimes perpetrated by the Canadian government against queer people. Perhaps for the first time in world history the leader of a country apologized publicly for the past persecution, discrimination, and wrongful incarceration of innocent Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Two Spirit people. Thank you, Justin, for setting an example of how leaders of the free world can be. In his honor, donations have been made to two Canadian groups: TwoSpirited People of Manitoba, Inc., and 2-Spirited People of the First Nations, Toronto

Justin Trudeau's Full Apology to LGBQ2T

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2017 Awards

This unnamed Hero from Mexico is a 12 year old boy, the youngest ever Monette-Horwitz Awardee. Standing tall against eleven thousand anti-gay protesters, this brave lone youth represents the best of what the Monette-Horwitz Trust is all about. In the beautiful central state of Guanajuato, Mexico, in the city of Celaya a protest march of mostly Catholic "pro-family" homophobes took to the streets to cultivate social division by making gays and lesbians second class citizens. Their goal, among others, was to take away the right to marriage equality now legal in Mexico City and 9 of Mexico's 31 states. When this boy was asked by journalist Manuel Rodriguez why he performed this courageous act of righteousness, our hero replied: "I have an uncle who is gay, and I hate the hatred." We here at the Monette-Horwitz Trust salute the compassionate youth of the world today who turn to their homophobic elders and say, No More.  [back]

Gavin Grimm, American transgender activist. After officially changing his gender on his Gloucester High School documents, Gavin, then 17, received permission from his school principal Nate Collins to use the Boys' Bathrooms. It didn't take long in Virginia for transphobic parents to entertain worries not based in reality (phobia) that transgender persons sexually molest children in bathrooms. The controversy was fueled by right wing community leaders like Ralph VanNess, pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church. The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Gavin Grimm vs. Gloucester County School Board. In 1967 the US Supreme Court gave us the landmark civil rights decision allowing interracial marriage: Loving vs. Virginia. We at the Monette-Horwitz Trust hope the Supreme Court will repeat history here for the state of Virginia, and for the well-being of all of America. [ f ]  [back]

One of the most shocking hate crimes in American history occurred in October 1998, when a young gay man was savagely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the countryside under the big Wyoming sky. The whole nation responded; President Bill Clinton helped draw attention to the horrific, tragic death of Matthew Shepard. Under President Obama, the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act became law. This would never have occurred without the universal attention given to the murder, and to the hard work and commitment of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which Matthew's parents, Judy and Dennis, founded not long after Matthew's death. Their continuing mission to fight homophobia and violence, especially focusing on youth, is at the heart of the mission of the Monette-Horwitz Trust, and we are honored to be able to support and recognize the Matthew Shepard Foundation. [ f ]  [back]

Nur Warsame, Australian openly gay imam. Born in Somalia and now residing in Melbourne, Nur Warsame is an imam (Muslim priest) and Australia's first Muslim spiritual leader to come-out. "Reconciling spirituality with sexuality is a very difficult journey," he said. This, in a time when Muslim fundamentalists in Somalia and elsewhere are torturing and executing gay people for being gay, is an act of courage and faith that we at the Monette-Horwitz Trust wish to honor publicly. Warsame has shown that coming-out is the essential evolutionary component in promoting social equality for silenced minorities. Just as scholars of Christian and Jewish Studies have already reinterpreted ancient texts from more evolved perspectives, so too contemporary Koranic scholars are pointing out misinterpretations of scripture and archaic thought processes. Warsame says, "We still have leaders in our communities of faith that are holding onto those old outdated ways of thinking that are no longer relevant in our contemporary society." Warsame hosts safe space for LGBTQ Muslims and their allies to congregate in Melbourne. Watch an interview with Nur Warsame.  [back]

2016 Awards

The Ali Forney Center’s mission is to protect LGBTQ youth from the harms of homelessness and to empower them with the tools needed to live independently.

The organization is named for Ali Forney, a gender nonconforming teen who fled his home at 13. He entered the foster care system where he was bounced around to several homes and was beaten. Ali ended up living on the streets. Ali was dedicated to helping other young people and publicly advocated for the safety of homeless LGBT youth. Tragically, in December of 1997, Ali was murdered in Harlem.

Committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ youth, Carl Siciliano founded the Ali Forney Center (AFC) in 2002, in memory of Ali. Since AFC's launch with just 6 beds in a church basement, the organization has grown to become the largest agency dedicated to LGBTQ homeless youth in the country, assisting nearly 1,400 youth per year through 10 housing sites and a multi-purpose Drop-In Center. The Center’s services include job training, housing, hormone therapy, and counseling. http://www.aliforneycenter.org [ f ]  [back]

Parvez Sharma is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and speaker. Sharma is a Muslim from India, moved to the UK, and has recently become a U.S. citizen. He directed and produced the multiple award winning film A JIHAD FOR LOVE (2007) which was viewed by over eight million people in 51 nations, a documentary on the struggles of being Muslim and gay/lesbian. Sharma’s second film A SINNER IN MECCA (2015) is an extraordinary account of his haj to Mecca documented with a cell phone camera strapped to his neck with rubber bands. He was named one of “50 Visionaries who are Changing Your World,” in a list headed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His writings on Islamic, racial and political issues have frequently appeared on The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and The Guardian, and elsewhere. He has become a prominent speaker on Muslim issues speaking at hundreds of live events around the world including the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security, and the United Nations in Geneva. http://asinnerinmecca.com/ [ f ]  [back]

Joey Terrill is a formative figure in the Chicano art movement and in AIDS cultural activism. A second generation native Angeleno, he attended Immaculate Heart College. His work conveys the energy, politics and creative synergy of Chicano and queer art circles in Los Angeles. Over the last thirty years Terrill has created portraits of everyday queer life in the barrio. His project the Chicos Modernos comic books provided safe sex information and education in Spanish to sex workers.

Also notable is Terrill's thirty years of experience working in HIV/AIDS advocacy, from coordinating the HIV and Vision Loss Program in Los Angeles back when AIDS related sight loss was a common manifestation among those infected, to case managing HIV positive members of the homeless and mentally–ill communities on skid row. Currently he is Director of Community Partnerships for AIDS Healthcare Foundation and works with dozens of organizations and advocates across the US in the effort to decriminalize HIV disclosure laws, as well as addressing the health disparities in communities of color. He is a member of the AHF sponsored LOUD-Latino Outreach and Understanding Division which seeks to support and celebrate LGBT community within the Latino diaspora.http://joeyterrillart.com/ [back]

2015 Awards

Larry Kramer, 1935-2020, activist and author, grew up in New York City and graduated from Yale University. As a life-long political activist, Kramer is most known for being co-founder of both ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) and GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis) in the 1980’s. In addition to writing screenplays, such as the adaptation of D.H.Lawrence’s Women In Love, Kramer is also known for his books, most notably Faggots (1978) and The American People (2015), and his plays, especially The Normal Heart (1985). [ f ]  [back]

Crayton Robey is an independent filmmaker based in New York City. As writer/director/producer, he made Where Ocean Meets Sky (2003), a history of Fire Island Pines, and Making the Boys (2010), a documentary about the classic play The Boys in the Band. [ f ]  [back]

Jimmy Somerville, Scottish pop singer and gay icon, first came on to the scene in 1983 with his disco band, Bronski Beat, followed two years later by The Communards. Somerville took the risk to be out of the closet in a time when many divas were still ‘in,’ and his lyrics were very much about being ‘out.’ Songs like “Smalltown Boy” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So” were anthems in the gay community for years. Somerville soon became an ardent AIDS activist, and remains involved in social justice concerns today. [ f ]  [back]

Jewel Thais-Williams, entrepreneur and humanitarian. In 1973 most gay clubs in Los Angeles were white-dominated and not welcoming to people of color. So Thais-Williams opened up her own gay and lesbian club, Jewel’s Catch One, which for over forty years has catered primarily to queer African-Americans. Thais-Williams is also an acupuncturist, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Village Health Foundation. She has also been a community leader and activist serving Unity Fellowship Church, The Minority AIDS Project, Rue’s House, Ladies Concerned, Imani Unidos, and UCLA’s Lambda Alumni Association. In 2016 C.Fitz made a documentary, Jewel Catch One which is streaming on Netflix [ f ] [back]

2014 Awards

Faces for Change Jadin Bell attempted suicide on Jan 19th 2013 after being bullied for being openly gay at the age of 15. He passed away on Feb 3, 2013. Heather Martin had this idea to start an anti-bullying organization, Faces For Change, with the concept of providing education to students, teachers/administrators, and communities on the effects of bullying. Joined by Bud Hill, together they have created a premier anti-bullying campaign in America.

Jadin’s father, Joe Bell, was devastated, quitting his job of 18 years and began walking across America to try and heal himself. As a representative of Faces for Change, he was also sharing with schools and communities along the way how the act of bullying can devastate a family, a community, a nation and even a world. Only six months into his journey he was struck by a semi-truck and killed outside of Denver, Colorado on Oct 9, 2013. Joe said his journey would have been worth it if he knew he could save one child’s life. Those at Faces for Change believe he saved at least one child’s life. Faces for Change is in its infancy, and plans to continue their good work to, ‘STOP BULLYING, ONE STEP AT A TIME’. [ f ] [back]

Johanna Olson is a pediatrician working as a full time faculty member of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. In 2012, she became the Medical Director of the Division’s Center for Transyouth Health and Development. She specializes in the care of gender non-conforming and transgender children and adolescents, and youth with HIV. Currently functioning as a KL2 Clinical Translational Science scholar, she spearheads a program of research at CHLA that aims to understand the experience of gender non-conformity from childhood through early adulthood. Board certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, she is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. http://www.chla.org/  [back]

Through self-respect and self expression, Payasos-L.A. is a brotherhood of gay/bi Latino men who are committed to supporting and enhancing the quality of life for our communities and for future generations.Through fund raising, public appearances and volunteering that supports youth programs, promotes Latino presence in the Arts, and generates awareness about issues that affect the Latino community in Los Angeles, Payasos-L.A. is dedicated to a better tomorrow.http://www.payasos-la.org/  [back]

The True Colors Fund was co-founded by Cyndi Lauper to raise awareness about and bring an end to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth homelessness, and to inspire everyone, especially straight people, to become active participants in the advancement of equality for all. https://truecolorsfund.org/ [ f ] [back]

Patricia Nell Warren 1936-2019, grew up on a historic ranch in Montana. After working 20 years as a Reader’s Digest editor, Warren has authored 10 books of fiction and nonfiction, including the 1974 bestselling gay-themed novel The Front Runner, which has sold millions of copies. Warren has long been a human-rights activist involved in some key court cases on human-rights issues, including free speech on the Internet (ACLU v. Reno and ACLU v. Gonzales). Warren also served as a commissioner of education in the Los Angeles Unified School District (1996-99), working with at-risk LGBT youth. Warren has written widely for magazines, both mainstream and LGBT. Wildcat Press, founded in 1994, was her own independent publishing company. http://wildcatintl.com/pnw.cfm [ f ] [back]

2013 Awards

Hudson Taylor, founder of Athlete Ally. Athlete Ally is a nonprofit sports resource encouraging all individuals involved in sports to respect every member of their communities, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, and to lead others in doing the same. Athlete Ally provides social advocacy campaigns, on-campus trainings and practical tools including resources to locate and learn about allied athletes, coaches, teams, athletic clubs and sports-based advocacy projects around the country. Hudson Taylor founded Athlete Ally in January of 2011. He is the Wrestling Coach at Columbia University. An Athlete Ally is any person — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity — who takes a stand against homophobia and transphobia in sports and brings the message of respect, inclusion and equality to their athletic community. Athlete Allies include competitive and recreational athletes as well as coaches, parents, teachers, league officials, sports fans, other sports participants and advocates. Taylor, a straight man, sets a fine example of how we all can live together in peace. http://www.athleteally.com/ [ f ] [back]

Jeff Sheng, photographer and creator of Fearless. Since 2003, Jeff Sheng has been photographing athletes on high school and college sports teams who also happen to self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ), and are "out" to their predominantly straight teammates, coaches and classmates. Even though he is by training an artist and photographer, this project is highly personal as he was a former closeted athlete in high school and could not be "out" and play collegiate sports at the same time. His book and exhibitions of photographs titled "Fearless" is a reminder of the true meaning behind the bravery of what young people are able to do: be themselves in the face of homophobia in competitive sports -- something rarely ever seen at the professional level. http://www.fearlessproject.org/ [ f ]  [back]

Kirk and Laura Smalley, founders of Stand for the Silent. Stand for the Silent was started in 2010 by a group students from the Oklahoma State University- Oklahoma City Upward Bound Chapter after they heard the story of Kirk and Laura Smalley’s son, Ty Field-Smalley. At eleven years-old, Ty took his own life after being suspended from school for retaliating against a bully that had been bullying him for over two years. Since then Kirk and Laura Smalley have been speaking out against bullying to over 600 schools and community organizations reaching over 644,000 youths and adults, as well as meeting with President Obama and the First Lady. They have been invited to speak in 23 states and 6 countries to date. The mantra is a simple statement born from a commitment to a child lost – to stop bullying in our world today. Stand for the Silent exists as a platform to allow Kirk and Laura to share their story and offer education and tools that will prevent their tragedy from happening to another child and family. Kirk and Laura’s mission is to continue to change kids’ lives and bring awareness to bullying and the real devastation it causes. With unequaled dedication and commitment, they have tirelessly labored to inspire a world where our children can be safe and where no other parent feels the agony of a child lost to the effects of bullying. http://www.standforthesilent.org/ [ f ] [back]

John Quiñones for his television show: What Would You Do? What Would You Do? is an American television news magazine broadcast on ABC since 2008 as part of the Primetime series. What Would You Do? is about setting up everyday scenarios that reflect on how people react, why they react, and what they decide to do. Scenarios staged are usually injustices or illegal activity; things you may or may not experience in everyday life. As the experiment goes on, psychology professors, teachers, or club members watch and discuss the video with Quiñones, explaining and making inferences on why the certain reaction is made. This series looks at how people actually do in the face of everyday dilemmas that test their character and values. A cast of actors, all strong improvisers, commit to their characters, creating believable and real people in real-life scenarios. A few examples that touch on concerns of the LGBTQ community include: a transwoman who works at a diner, and while serving a customer she informs him that she used to be a man named Chris, during which the customer begins to harass her. In another episode same-sex parents are at a restaurant with their adopted children, and the waiter attempts to kick the family out of the restaurant, claiming that these parents are 'messing up the kids'. Another episode of What Would You Do? tests people’s reactions to witnessing a counselor urging a teen to seek conversion therapy treatment for his sexual orientation. In this television show, John Quiñones brings homophobia out into the open for viewers to witness its ill effects. [ f ] [back]

2012 Awards

ACT-UP Oral History Project, New York - The ACT-UP Oral History Project is a collection of interviews with surviving members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, New York. The purpose of this project is to present comprehensive, complex, human, collective, and individual pictures of the people who have made up ACT-UP/New York. These men and women of all races and classes have transformed entrenched cultural ideas about homosexuality, sexuality, illness, health care, civil rights, art, media, and the rights of patients. They have achieved concrete changes in medical and scientific research, insurance, law, health care delivery, graphic design, and introduced new and effective methods for political organizing. These interviews reveal what has motivated them to action and how they have organized complex endeavors. Perhaps this information will de-mystify the process of making social change, remind us that change can be made, and help us understand how to do it. ACT-UP continues to fight to end the AIDS epidemic. http://www.actuporalhistory.org/index1.html [ f ] [back]

GayChinese.net, China - GayChinese.net and Information Clearinghouse for Chinese Gays and Lesbians. GayChinese.net makes it possible for Chinese speaking gays and lesbians from all over the world to post questions regarding a wide range of topics: HIV / AIDS, coming out issues, how to face social and familial pressures, how to handle relationship problems. For many Chinese GLBT people, especially those in rural areas, GayChinese.net is an essential link. GayChinese.net also offers a legal advice column to help people resolve legal issues under the Chinese system. Cases addressed include privacy violations and extortion, and harassment by law enforcement officials. GayChinese.net also provides a platform for the fledgling Chinese GLBT literary movement. They have been active participants of many GLBT activities, and co-sponsored several nationwide conferences on HIV / AIDS education and on other GLBT topics. For many young GLBT, it provides a glimpse on what life could be. GayChinese.net  [back]

SMUG, Uganda - Sexual Minorities Uganda is a grass roots NGO working toward full legal and social equality for LGBT people in Uganda. It is Uganda’s queer umbrella organization. Founded in 2004, SMUG educates Ugandan authorities, the public, and the international community about the scope of harassment LGBT people face, and provides support to the LGBT community to cope with the atmosphere of repression, social stigma, and prejudice. SMUG documents cases of abuse and arbitrary detention and provides legal and psychosocial counseling to LGBT people. SMUG has partnered with radio and television stations to produce programs on LGBT issues, the first time these media presented LGBT issues in a positive light.  SMUG's executive director Frank Mugisha, was the recipient of the 2011 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.  In March 2012 a lawsuit was filed in New York on behalf of SMUG against Scott Lively, president of Abiding Truth Ministries, alleging Lively's involvement in anti-homosexuality efforts in Uganda, including his active participation in the formulation of anti-gay legislation and policies aimed at revoking fundamental rights from LGBT people. http://www.smug.4t.com/ [ f ] [back]

2011 Awards

Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover MA - The Addison Gallery's collection of American art is one of the most comprehensive in the world, including some 16,750 objects spanning the 18th century to the present. The museum is committed to serving the public through free admission as well as education and exhibitions programs that reach diverse audiences. The Addison is located on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the independent boarding school that Paul Monette attended on full scholarship.

Coinciding with what would have been Paul’s 50th reunion, the Addison will present a small exhibition in honor of Paul in the spring of 2013. Thanks to the support of Louis Wiley, a friend and classmate of Paul’s, the Addison has assembled a small but growing collection of works made by gay artists that explore gay identity, activism, and the impact of HIV/AIDS. Featuring photographs by artists such as Duane Michals, Mark Morrisroe, and David Wojnarowicz, this exhibition will explore a variety of artistic responses to the compelling issues of our time as well as pay tribute to Paul, an American author, poet, and activist. http://www.andover.edu/museums/addison/Pages/default.aspx [ f ] [back]

Joycelyn Elders, Chair in Sexual Health Education, Program in Human Sexuality, University of Minnesota - M. Joycelyn Elders, MD, is a great-granddaughter of slaves and was raised in Arkansas by her sharecropping parents in a three-room shack with no electricity or plumbing. At 15 she received a scholarship to attend college in Little Rock. Upon graduation at 18, she entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. Through the GI Bill, she went to medical school (UAMS) and was the only African American woman in her class.

Elders was nominated as the first African American Surgeon General of the US Public Health Service by President Clinton in 1993. As the 15th Surgeon General, Elders argued the case for universal health coverage and was a spokesperson for President Clinton's health care reform effort. She has been a strong advocate for comprehensive sexual health education in schools, and she has been an advocate in defense of erotic minority people. Her unabashed public opinions on controversial topics such as her support of drug-user decriminalization, legalization of marijuana, free contraception distribution for all American high school students, reaffirming women’s rights to chose abortion, equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, and advocacy of masturbation as a safe-sex behavior, was all too much for the American conservatives, as well as the then adulterer president.

Since leaving her post as Surgeon General, Elders has remained a prominent figure in the public discourse around human sexuality and has been a champion for comprehensive sexuality education, reproductive rights, and sexual rights. Elders has returned to the University of Minnesota as an active member of the Program in Human Sexuality’s Leadership Council. She also serves on the Trojan Sexual Health Advisory Council and the African American Health Alliance. Elders has said, “They accused me of wanting to teach children how to masturbate. We don’t have to teach children how to masturbate: God teaches them. Program in Human Sexuality, University of Minnesota [ f ] [back]

2010 Awards

Leslie Feinberg, 1949-2014 was a transgender warrior. A longtime activist on behalf of workers, women, and transpeople, Feinberg is perhaps best known for the Lambda Award-winning novel Stone Butch Blues (1993), a classic novel in modern queer literature. In 1996, Feinberg published one of the first studies of trans oppression, Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to RuPaul, and in 2006, Feinberg published a second novel, Drag King Dreams. A peace activist and a believer in grassroots organizing, Feinberg’s adult life has been dedicated to telling the stories of transfolk and to fighting for the rights and livelihood of queers everywhere. www.transgenderwarrior.org   [back]

Impact Stories is the brainchild of Glenne McElhinney, a lifelong grass-roots activist. During her youth in San Francisco, Glenne fought Prop 6 and Briggs. Upon seeing the documentary Paragraph 175, (the story of gays persecuted by the Nazis), Glenne decided that she would get involved in documentary filmmaking— to tell the stories of queer people. Her work at Impact Stories is an ongoing oral history project of gay California. The first product of Impact Stories is the moving, inspiring film On These Shoulders We Stand, which tells some of the history of Gay Los Angeles. Next up is Tales of California. Impact Stories is based on the stark reality that stories which are not recorded are lost—and that too much of our history has been untold for too long. www.impactstories.org [ f ] [back]

Iraqi LGBT - This Human Rights group supports gay activists in Iraq, assisting their efforts to help other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Iraqis facing death and persecution by the police and militia squads. Aside from raising awareness about the wave of homophobic murders in Iraq to the outside world, Iraqi LGBT also aids targeted individuals seeking refuge in the safer parts of Iraq (with housing, food, electricity, medical help) and in neighboring countries. www.iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com [ f ] •  [back]

Rev. Eric P. Lee, president of the Los Angeles chapter of Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 2008, took center stage as a leading black advocate for same-sex marriage in the battle over California's Proposition 8. His courageous stance brought him under fire with many of his peers in the faith community and some in the broader African-American community. Even when the national SCLC threatened to strip the Los Angeles chapter of its charter, Rev. Lee refused to back down, insisting that "any time you deny one group of people the same right that other groups have, that is a clear violation of civil rights and I have to speak up on that." http://www.sclc-sc.org/ • [back]

Naz Foundation is the largest AIDS healthcare NGO in India, located in the capitol New Delhi, providing a variety of services (healthcare, education, outreach, home support), and founded in 1994 by Anjali Gopalan. In addition to their public advocacy and promotion of sexual health, Naz India strategically assisted a team of lawyers in an eight year court battle to decriminalize homosexual acts, the infamous Section 377, implemented by the British colonialists. Along with others, Naz India is a courageous and triumphant spirit of freedom, collaborating in the eradication of the suffering of GLBT and HIV+ people.
http://www.nazindia.org/ [ f ] [back]

RFD and White Crane Journal are America's two oldest reader-written-and-produced quarterlies celebrating queer diversity. Featuring personal essays, photography and poetry with alternative viewpoints not found in the mainstream press, these sister publications not only share recent significant anniversaries (35 years and 20 years, respectively) but a grassroots tribe of faithful and involved readers. Unique, passionate and always lively, RFD and White Crane magazines uphold the basic tenets of gay liberation for future generations.  www.rfdmag.org     www.gaywisdom.org [ f ]  [back]

2009 Awards

Anastassios Aliferis - As mayor of the tiny Greek island, Tilos (population 533), Anastassios Aliferis defied threats of prosecution and performed two same-gender marriages (one gay male and one lesbian) on June 3, 2008. Aliferis said, "It's ludicrous for Greece, the cradle of democracy and human rights, to deny homosexuals equal rights and privileges." [back]

Haven Herrin - A lesbian American Buddhist from Texas, Herrin is the Director of Soulforce Q, the young adult division of a non-violent resistance group which protests religious violence against GLBT people. She was arrested several times on the Equality Ride, notably at West Point Military Academy for their expulsion of gay and lesbian students, and poigniantly at Brigham Young Universty where the freedom riders held a die-in commemorating all the GLBT students who, after being expelled from BYU for being gay, committed suicide. She was recently arrested for quietly protesting at a sit-in, after being refused an application to enter the National Guard in Minnesota. [ f ] [back]

Gavin Newsom - As mayor of San Francisco, Newsom, a self-avowed heterosexual, is perhaps most noted to date for his heroism in the promotion of marriage equality. Newsom has been an unwavering supporter of equality for queer folk, and to eradicating homophobia. Newsom is an exemplar for how straight white men can be brothers to GLBT people. [ f ] [back]

Sunil Babu Pant - The first openly gay elected official to the Nepalese parliament, Pant co-founded the first gay rights group in Nepal, The Blue Diamond Society, which now has thirty full time staff members and is funded entirely by donations and grants. Due in part to Pant's heroic efforts, the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled on December 21, 2007, that GLBT people have equal rights and cannot be discriminated against, the first such decision in Asia. "We have a golden opportunity to raise our voice and contribute to this country...This is a struggle I think this generation has to do, about being brave and honest," he said. Pant has received the "Felipa de Souza Award" from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Photo by Star Black [ f ] [back]

Christine Robinson, Ph.D. - A professor of sociology at James Madison University, Virginia, Robinson was awarded the prestigious Queer of the Year award. Robinson has spent over twenty years being a gracious gadfly to the Christian focused Ex-Gay movement. She attends their conferences and creates dialogue with their highest movers and shakers, documenting for history the lies they perpetuate and the damage they cause to GLBT people, their families, and the families they are coerced into procreating. She is now focusing her work on the international expansion of the Ex-Gay movement, and recently delivered a lecture entitled, Exporting Inequality: The global emergence of the ex-gay movement. [back]

2008 Awards

Aaron Belkin is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2007, the Palm Center was selected by the Advocate as one of the leading LGBT-rights organizations in the country for its work on "don't ask, don't tell." Professor Belkin has published books and journal articles in the areas of civil-military relations, social science methodology, and gays and lesbians in the military. He has made presentations on "don't ask, don't tell" at the Army War College, National Defense University, Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, and U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His and the Center's research has been covered widely by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, ABC, CBS and NBC national news, PBS, CSPAN, FOX, CNN and newspapers and television and radio stations throughout the United States and abroad. [ f ] [back]

The Fred Martinez Project - Award-winning documentary filmmakers Lydia Nibley and Russell Martin have brought together an accomplished crew and board of advisors to create "Two Spirits." The story of Fred Martinez, a two-spirit Navajo youth murdered by a classmate in Cortez, Colorado, on June 16, 2001. His savagely beaten body was found five days later in a shallow canyon near his home. Fred was a nadleeh—someone possessing a balance of masculine and feminine traits—a special gift according to traditional Navajo culture. But his determination to openly express his true nature cost him his life. Only 16-years-old, Fred was one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was killed. The soon-to-be-released feature film is a moving testament to his life and to the enduring legacy of two-spirit people everywhere. [ f ] [back]

Jerry Sanders Mayor of San Diego, California, and former Chief of Police, is yet another elected Republican politician with a lesbian daughter. During his conservative mayoral campaign Sanders expressed his opposition to equal rights for GLBT people, specifically marriage equality. But on September 19, 2007 Sanders held a news conference in which he "decided to lead with my heart. . . to take a stand on behalf of equality and social justice." Although the Monette-Horwitz Trust may not agree with Mr. Sanders' politics in general, we applaud his moral courage to break from the homophobia of his constituents and help lead America to be a nation that truly lives up to it's founding principals: that all citizens are created equal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y05XmZlF44 [back]

Susan Stryker - A prolific writer, public speaker, and transgender activist, Susan Stryker is author of the 2006 Lambda Award-winning book, The Transgender Studies Reader. She earned a Ph.D in U.S. history from the University of California, Berkeley, and later held a postdoctoral fellowship in sexuality studies at Stanford University. Other books include Queer Pulp, a study of mid-twentieth century paperback fiction, a biography of legendary transgender entertainer Christine Jorgensen, and Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. Between 1999 and 2004, Stryker served as executive director of the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco. Most recently, Stryker has authored Transgender History (Seal Press, 2008) and co-wrote, directed and produced the film Screaming Queens. [ f ] [back]

Claude J. Summers is Stirton Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, Dearborn. He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, with topics ranging from renaissance English literature to queer popular culture. He was General Editor for the online encyclopedia GLBTQ.com, which is the world's largest online resource for GLBTQ cultural history. The web site includes a discussion board in an effort to increase awareness and interest in the field of queer studies and in making the history of queer people visible and readily accessible. He lives in New Orleans. His longtime partner and collaborator, Ted-Larry Pebworth, just recently passed away. [back]

Tongues (QUE VIVA) is a non-profit organization working within and among queer, feminist, and women of color communities to increase cultural and community development, strengthen political involvement, and contribute to social justice efforts across diverse cultures, peoples, and geographic boundaries. Queer women of color collaborating for social change. QUE VIVA [back]

2007 Awards

The Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno has served as an Episcopal priest in various settings for the past 30 years. He is currently Bishop of the six-county Diocese of Los Angeles and has been widely acclaimed for his principled leadership on social justice issues. He has long been a champion of gay and lesbian people and their right to conduct civil unions and to openly seek ordination as priests, a stance that has been met by tremendous controversy in many quarters of the 70-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2006, Bishop Bruno was recognized by the Progressive Christians Uniting for his many contributions to fostering human rights and the dignity of all peoples. The Bishop also sits on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Good Samaritan Hospital, and the Episcopal Housing Alliance. "It is our obligation to bring about opportunities for peace, responsible stewardship and reconciliation," says Bishop Bruno. "To cultivate peace means we must be culturally competent people who teach tolerance and enact justice. We need to work together in this world, to be reconciled one to another, and we need to love each other in the name of God." [back]

Mike Jones - The Monette-Horwitz Trust grants its first Activism Award to Mike Jones, American model and sex worker. Jones made headlines when he outed a client of his, the homophobic evangelical Rev. Ted Haggard, chief bully of the New Life Church of Colorado Springs, CO (membership of 14,000), and president of the National Association of Evangelicals (membership of 30,000,000). Mike Jones went on the radio and spoke of his monthly sessions with Haggard over the past three years.
     Haggard usually paid Jones $200 for sex, which included Haggard performing fellatio on Jones. Haggard also confided to Jones of his kinky fantasies and his methamphetamine use. Haggard had rallied millions of Americans to vote for Bush, and had incited them for years to work against gay Americans. On November 5, 2006, Haggard said, "I am a deceiver and a liar. The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality...There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life."
     Jones said of his act of heroism, "I had to expose the hypocrisy. He is in the position of influence of millions of followers, and he's preaching against gay marriage. But behind everybody's back [he's] doing what he's preached against." [back]

Terry DeCrescenzo is a graduate of USC Graduate School of Social Work (MSW, 1978), which honored her with its most Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1991. After 15 years on the staff of the Dorothy Kirby Center, she founded GLASS (Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services) as the first milieu-based residential treatment program for gay and lesbian teens in the country. Today, GLASS has an annual budget in excess of 10 million dollars, with a staff numbering more than 150, and a nearly seamless delivery system for GLBT youth and their families. DeCrescenzo received the NASW Social Worker of the Year award in 1990. Her ground-breaking work was further recognized by NASW in 1995, with the Koshland Award for Outstanding Administrator. In 2005, she was given the "Pioneer Award" by the Child Welfare League of America. DeCrescenzo has also remained heavily involved in gay and lesbian community activism over the years, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Lambda Literary Foundation. [ f ] [back]

Kevin Jennings, author of the 2006 memoir, Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son, is best known for his work creating safe schools for LGBT students. In 1988, Jennings helped establish the nation's first Gay-Straight Alliance for students, and in 1990 he founded GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) to bring together teachers, parents, students, and community members to end anti-LGBT bias in schools. Under his guidance, GLSEN has become a national education and civil rights organization with a presence in all 50 states. Newsweek named him one of a hundred people to watch in the new century. The author of One Teacher in Ten and Always My Child, Jennings also wrote and produced the historical documentary Out of the Past, which won the 1998 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. [ f ] [ f ] [back]

Stuart Timmons1957-2017, co-author (with Lillian Faderman) of the highly acclaimed 2006 history book, Gay L.A. His previous book, The Trouble with Harry Hay, a biography of the gay movement's founding figure, also chronicled a century of gay life in Los Angeles and became a Book of the Month Club selection. He has covered gay politics and culture from theater to AIDS, as well as reported on education, environmental, and other topics. His journalism has appeared in publications such as LA Weekly, The Advocate, Vibe, and Spin and his short stories have been published in various anthologies. Timmons is continuing his work researching gay lives in the Southland for a new book. [ f ] [back]

Ex-GayWatch.com The "ex-gay" movement is highly controversial and highly publicized. To counter its power and reach - and to monitor its activities - the good folks at Ex-Gay Watch have established a wide-ranging and comprehensive website. It has become an on-line community for survivors of the "ex-gay" movement as well as a clearing house for related links, blogs, and the general dissemination of information about one of the most suspect and potentially damaging enemies of LGBTQ people. [back]

2006 Awards

Vern Bullough, 1928-2006 a life long heterosexual, was a pioneer of the gay American civil rights movement. He was an historian, sexologist, professor, activist, nurse, and family man. Vern renounced being a Mormon as a teenager, and dedicated his life to science and understanding the human condition. Upon learning that his wife's mother was a lesbian, Vern's studies shifted to sexuality and a lifetime of activism on behalf of what would become the GLBT community. He became a board member of the ACLU's Southern California chapter on the condition that they acknowledge homosexuality as a civil rights issue. He worked side by side with most of the LA gay pioneers, and sat with his wife Bonnie in a convertible in LA's first gay pride parade. He wrote numerous books and articles about contraception, prostitution, transgenderism, and the religious persecution of sexual minorities, and was responsible for having early gay texts by Karl Ulrichs and Magnus Hirschfeld translated into English. Vern was accused by anti-sex Americans of being a pedophile, but successfully refuted their campaign of phobia. Truly a gentle man, Vern Bullough will be remembered in every book of gay American history as an ally in our battle for equality. [back]

Randy Burns has been an Indian activist, author, speaker and leader for over 35 years. He founded Gay American Indians (GAI) in 1975, the first multicultural gay organization in the United States. He was Grand Marshall for the 2005 Pride Parade in San Francisco, and continues to address the concerns of Two-Spirit people, including homophobia within native communities. Randy is on the board of directors of the Native American Cultural Center and the Native American AIDS Project.   [back]

Richard Schneider, Jr. received his Ph.D in sociology from Harvard, and then taught at the University of Maryland's European Division. Upon returning to Boston, he became the Director of Research for a consulting firm. He founded the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review in 1994 and has remained its editor and de facto publisher ever since. Renamed the Gay and Lesbian Review / Worldwide, it is widely regarded as the leading LGBT cultural and intellectual journal in the U.S. The publication features articles and reviews on literature, history, politics, and homophobia. [ f ] [back]

Considered one of the most important bloggers in America, Pam Spaulding issues incisive daily news and commentary on critical issues with a focus on LGBT equality and monitoring the anti-gay radical religious right. Her site, Pam's House Blend, (www.pamshouseblend.com) which draws more than 3,000 unique visitors per day, won Best LGBT Blog in the 2005 Weblog Awards. She is one of the few black lesbian bloggers in the country and her coverage of issues affecting the LGBT community, including rare reporting of homophobia in the Black Church, makes her blog a daily must read. She resides in Durham, North Carolina with her wife, Kate. [ f ] [back]

2005 Awards

PFLAG Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was founded in 1972 and has grown to include over 500 chapters with over 200,000 members. PFLAG's mission is to "promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity." For over 30 years PFLAG has been a standardbearer in the battle to eradicate homophobia. www.pflag.org [ f ] [back]

Chris Freeman has a Ph.D in English from Vanderbilt University. He is co-editor of the Lambda-Award winning The Isherwood Century as well as Conversations With Christopher Isherwood and the forthcoming Love, West Hollywood: Reflections of Los Angeles. He lives in West Hollywood and teaches at the University of Southern California. [ f ] [back]

2004 Awards

Soulforce, Inc., Lynchburg, Virginia (Chuck Phelan, Board Chair) is an interfaith, ecumenical movement committed to ending spiritual violence perpetrated by religious policies and teachings against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons and was founded in 1998 by Mel White. Accomplishments are listed at www.SoulForce.org and include nonviolent direct actions and acts of civil disobedience targeting the unjust policies and teachings of the Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches, as well as prominent televangelists including Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and James Dobson. Soulforce has used email and web workshops and seminars in universities, churches, and synagogues to train thousands of volunteers in the principles of relentless nonviolent resistance. Soulforce has produced 5 videos and over 20,000 copies have been requested and distributed to local PFLAG chapters, churches and synagogues, public libraries, LGBT community centers, and cable television stations. In the last two years, Soulforce has licensed two dozen Local Soulforce Groups in key cities in twenty-four different states. www.SoulForce.org [back]

Arthur Dong is a producer, director, writer, editor, and cinematographer of numerous LGBT themed documentaries, including Family Fundamentals (2003), which profiles religiously conservative Christian families with gay children, Licensed to Kill (1997), which investigates the stories of seven convicted killers who have murdered homosexuals, and Coming Out Under Fire (1994), which examines the World War II origins of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that labeled homosexual soldiers as sex perverts and discharged them as mentally ill. He has been the recipient of numerous grants and honors, including a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a George Foster Peabody award, a Guggenheim Fellowship in filmmaking, and nominations for both Emmy's and an Academy Award. He lives in Los Angeles.   www.DeepFocusProductions.com   [back]

OASIS is a Los Angeles Unified School District continuation high school program begun in 1996 which offers gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students a chance to excel academically and become vital, respected members of the community. OASIS (Out Adolescents Staying In School) has been the catalyst for a turnaround in truancy, failing grades, missing credits, and dropping out. OASIS uses a holistic, interdisciplinary curriculum to create solid critical thinkers and stimulate the abilities of gifted youth to raise self esteem and prepare students for graduation. OASIS students and staff have been interviewed for public television programs and by the press and former students have become community newspaper columnists and have worked as local politics interns.  [back]

Arlene Raven, Ph.D, 1944-2006, was an art historian for over thirty years and was among the first to study and acknowledge female, lesbian, and gay artists beginning in the late 1960s. Raven participated in the first presentation of scholarly papers on homosexuality and the arts at the 1977 College Art Association meeting in Los Angeles and originated the Lesbian Art Project in 1977. Raven was also a founder of the Women's Caucus for Art, the Feminist Studio Workshop, The Los Angeles Woman's Building, and "Chrysalis" magazine. Her honors and awards include grants from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and she was the 2002 recipient of the College Art Association's Frank Jewett Mather Award for Distinction in Art Criticism. Her seven books include Crossing Over: Feminism and Art of Social Concern (1988), New Feminist Criticism (1993), and June Wayne: Tunnel of the Senses (1997). [back]

2003 Awards

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network SLDN was founded in 1993 as a national nonprofit legal service, a watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination and harassment of military personnel affected by Don't Ask, Don't Tell and related forms of intolerance and homophobia. It played a crucial role in ensuring that the Army did not cover up the murder of PFC Barry Winchell and ensured that his assailants were brought to justice. Each year it helps hundreds of servicemembers. At the time of another potential Gulf War, it is the Monette-Horwitz Trust’s privilege to support American servicemen and women in the performance of their duties and to help shield them from any discrimination or harm that being lesbian, gay, or bisexual might expose them to. [ f ] [back]

Jennifer DeVere Brody, Ph.D, is associate professor of English, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and was, in the 1980s, an early writer in the then nascent field of Black gay and lesbian studies, along with Dwight McBride, also a Monette-Horwitz award winner. Brody has written on Nella Larsen’s Harlem Renaissance novel, Passing, and is the author of Impossible Purities: Blackness, Femininity, and Victorian Culture (Duke, 1998). She is currently working on The Style of Elements: Politically Performing Punctuation, for which she cites Paul Monette as one inspiration, noting "the project is indebted to Monette’s elegant essay, ‘3275’ [from ‘Last Watch of the Night’] where he exclaims, ‘Exquisite, that use of ‘grave’ for ‘engrave,’ as if the action of the stone cutter and the place itself are one.’" [back]

Dwight A. McBride, Ph.D, is chair of the Department of African American Studies and associate professor of African American Studies, English, and Communication Studies at Northwestern University. A pioneer in the field of black gay and lesbian studies, his published essays are in the areas of race theory and black queer studies. He is author of Impossible Witnesses: Truth, Abolitionism, and Slave Testimony (2001, NYU Press), a book-length study of abolitionist discourse and the problem of witnessing slavery in Britain and the U.S. He is the editor of James Baldwin Now (1999, NYU Press), co-editor of a special issue of the journal Callaloo titled "Plum Nelly: New Essays in Black Queer Studies" (Winter 2000), and co-editor of the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Sexual African American Fiction (2002 Cleis Press). McBride recently completed a book manuscript (due to be published fall 2004) titled Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch: Essays on Race and Sexuality. He is currently at work on two new book manuscripts tentatively titled: Poetics, Politics, and Phillis Wheatley and White Lies in the Republic: Race, Sexuality, and the Law. [back]

Will Roscoe, Ph.D, is an adjunct research faculty member of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, California, and is the author of the Lambda Literary Award winning The Zuni Man – Woman (University of New Mexico Press, 1991). For three decades he has sought to combat homophobia through both scholarship and activism. His other works include Queer Spirits: A Gay Men’s Myth Book (Beacon Press, 1995) and the edited work, Radically Gay: Gay Liberation in the Words of Its Founder, by Harry Hay (Beacon Press, 1996). He has also written about homosexuality in the Islamic world and about gender variant people around the globe. His current work is Same–Sex Love and the Mysteries of Heaven, an exploration of queer themes in the history of Western religion. [ f ] [back]

James M. Saslow, Ph.D, is professor of Art, Queens College, Flushing, New York, and the author of the Lambda Literary Award winning Pictures and Passions: A History of Homosexuality in the Visual Arts (Viking-Penguin, 1999), as well as an early LGBT Studies work, Ganymede in the Renaissance: Homosexuality in Art and Society (Yale University Press, 1986). His current work is Queen of Arts, a memoir of personal development and experiences as a journalist, art critic, and historian who came of age in the first quarter–century of the gay / lesbian cultural movement. [back]

2002 Awards

Jon W. Davidson is senior counsel, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Los Angeles, and as a gay public interest attorney and activist has reached out to non-gay audiences to educate them about LGBT issues. He has been an adjunct professor / instructor at the University of Southern California (USC) Law Center, the Loyola Law School, and the UCLA School of Law. He is the author of many articles, including Gender Neutral (2001), Why is the Right to Marry Wrong for Some? (1999), and Scouting for Justice (1999). www.lambdalegal.org [ f ] [back]

Linda Garnets, Ph.D, is a licensed clinical psychologist and organizational consultant, Los Angeles, and adjunct professor of psychology, women’s studies, and LGBT Studies, UCLA. She has been involved in LGBT advocacy through scholarship, research, teaching, professional leadership, and community activism. Among her many publications as writer and editor are Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay Male, and Bisexual Experiences (with D.C. Kimmel, revised 2002), What a Light It Shed: The Life of Evelyn Hooker (With D.C. Kimmel, 2000), and Violence and Victimization of Lesbians and Gay Men: Mental Health Consequences (with G.M. Herek and B. Levy, 1990). [back]

ONE Institute and Archives, Los Angeles, is more than fifty years old and has become the world’s largest known LGBT collection through tenacious grassroots and activist support. It is affiliated with but not governed or funded by the University of Southern California. Its collections unite those of ONE Inc., founded by W. Dorr Legg and others, the Jim Kepner Collection begun in 1946, the Homosexual Information Center Collection dating from the early 1950s, and the Lesbian Legacy Collection. It houses and catalogs these collections and supports community activities and related programs. www.oneinstitute.org   [back]

Barbara Smith is an author and independent scholar, Albany, New York, whose groundbreaking work has helped to open up a cultural and political dialogue about the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and gender. She is co-founder and publisher of Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, Albany, New York, 1980 – 1995. She has been visiting professor at Mount Holyoke College, Hobart William Smith College, and the University of Minnesota. Her publications include The History of African American Lesbians and Gays (1997), Black Lesbian Organizing (1995), and Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology (ed., 1983). [back]

2001 Awards

Allan Bérubé , 1946-2007 was an independent scholar living in New York City. Bérubé’s groundbreaking research was published in the book Coming out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two (Free Press, 1990). The book was later made into a documentary film for television, produced and directed by Arthur Dong. Bérubé’s recent research is Dream Ships Sail Away: A Gay Odyssey Through the Golden Age of Luxury Liners, a narrative history about how cooks and stewards who worked on passenger liners created one of the most democratic, multiracial, and pro-gay unions in the United States. [back]

Anthony R. D’Augelli, Ph.D is Professor of Human Development, Pennsylvania State University. He is a licensed clinical / community psychologist whose primary interest has been research on sexual orientation and human development. He has published numerous books and articles, such as Homophobia in a University Community: Attitudes and Experience of White Heterosexual Freshmen (1990). His current research project is "Victimization and Mental Health Among High-Risk Youths," for the National Institiute of Mental Health. He is co-editor of three influential books reviewing psychological research on sexual orientation, all published by Oxford University Press. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania. [back]

Karen Franklin, Ph.D, is a psychologist in private practice, an adjunct professor, California School of Professional Psychology / Alliant University, Alameda, California, and an independent researcher and activist in areas of hate crimes prevention and homophobia reduction. Her research and practice specializations are psychosocial motivations for hate crimes against sexual minorities, violence and homophobia reduction programs, criminal responsibility and competency evaluations (juvenile and adult), and capital homicide (penalty phase and habeas evaluations). She has published research articles, such as Violence Toward Homosexuals, and 3,000 newspaper articles, primarily on legal affairs. www.karenfranklin.com   [back]

Jeff McMahon, M.F.A., is a performance artist, writer, and filmmaker. He has written and performed more than twenty-one text / movement performance pieces presented throughout North America and Europe. He is an arts activist and lobbyist on the issue of arts censorship. McMahon has been visiting artist and instructor at numerous universities, for example, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California, Glasgow School of Arts, Glasgow, Scotland, and Kutzdown University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania. McMahon lives in New York City.   jeffmcmahonprojects.net [ f ] [back]

Letitia Anne Peplau, Ph.D, is professor of psychology, UCLA. She has written and edited numerous volumes, including Gender, Culture, and Ethnicity (Mayfield Publishing, 1999). She is one of the world’s premier researchers into lesbian relationships and sexuality. Her work on close personal relationships investigates the homophobia and sexual prejudice aimed not only at individuals but also at their loving relationships. She lives in Sherman Oaks, California. [back]

2000 Awards

Gregory Herek, Ph.D is professor of psychology, University of California, Davis (UCD). Herek is an internationally recognized authority on prejudice against lesbians and gay men, hate crimes and anti-gay violence, and AIDS-related stigma. He has published numerous scholarly articles on these topics. In 1992 he co-edited Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men (Sage Publications, with Kevin Berrill.)   http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/index.html [ f ] [back]

James Naylor Green, Ph.D, is an associate professor of Latin American history at California State University, Long Beach and the President of the Brazilian Studies Association. His book Beyond Carnival: Male Homosexuality in Twentieth-Century Brazil was published by the University of Chicago Press in 1999. A Portuguese language version came out in Brazil in 2000. He is currently completing a book entitled More Love and More Desire: A History of the Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, and Transgendered Movement. [back]

Robin Podolsky is an independent writer and lecturer whose work has appeared in LA Weekly as well as LGBT community publications. She is currently writing Queer Cosmopolis, to be published by New York University Press. She lives in Los Angeles. [ f ] [back]

Yolanda Retter, Ph.D, 1947-2007 performed numerous LGBT community services and won the Lambda Literary Award for Queers in Space: Communities, Public Places, Sites of Resistance (Bay Press, 1997). Retter’s 1999 dissertation was titled On the Side of the Angels: Lesbian Activism in Los Angeles 1970–1990. Retter manages the Lesbian Legacy Collection at ONE Institute and Archives, Los Angeles. [back]

1999 Awards

Lillian Faderman, Ph.D, is author of the first widely read books on lesbian history and culture, particularly Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the 16th Century to the Present (1981). Her most recent book, Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death was published in 2018. Professor Emerita of English, California State University, Fresno. Her numerous other works include Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in 20th Century America (1992) and Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir (2003). In addition to teaching and lecturing, she has been active with the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives. Lillian Faderman.org [ f ] [back]

Jonathan Ned Katz is the author of Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A. (1976); Gay/Lesbian Almanac (1983); The Invention of Heterosexuality (1995); Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality (2001), and other books, articles, and reviews. His book The Invention of Heterosexuality, a history of the heterosexual norm, was cited in "Lawrence v Texas," the 2003 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision decriminalizing same-sex behaviors and overturning the 1986 anti-gay decision of "Bowers v Hardwick." www.outhistory.org [ f ] [back]

1998 Awards

Lesbian Herstory Archives, Brooklyn, New York
The Lesbian Herstory Archives of New York City, the largest and oldest lesbian archive in the world, began in 1973 as an outgrowth of a lesbian consciousness-raising group at the Gay Academic Union. In 1974 the planning began, and in 1976 the Archives opened in the pantry of Joan Nestle’s and Deborah Edel’s Upper West Side apartment. In 1978 Judith Schwarz joined Joan Nestle and Deborah Edel as coordinators of the Archives. The Lesbian Herstory Archives exists to gather and preserve records of lesbian lives and activities so that future generations will have ready access to materials relevant to their lives. www.lesbianherstoryarchives.org [ f ] [back]

June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, West Hollywood, California
The Archives was founded in Oakland, California, in 1981 and six years later was moved to Los Angeles by Connexxus Women’s Center/Centro de Mujeres. The Archives acquired its present name after the death of activist June Mazer. The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives remains the only archive on the west side of the continent that is dedicated exclusively to preserving lesbian history. The Archives is committed to gathering and preserving materials by and about lesbians of all classes, ethnicities, races and experiences. [ f ] [back]