A group of individuals and organizations from throughout the region will be recognized at the largest annual LGBT conference, held next weekend in Philadelphia.
This year, the National LGBTQ Task Force will give out five awards at the annual Creating Change Conference, a five-day conference filled with workshops dedicated to promoting LGBT equality. The awards will be presented with collaboration from the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) on Jan. 22 at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott.
The honorees include Hazel Edwards for the Youth Leadership Award; Glenn D. Magpantay for the Haas Jr. Award for Outstanding LGBTQ Leadership for Immigrant Rights; Dr. Luke Jensen for the Distinguished Achievement in the Profession Award; John C. Andersen Apartments for the SAGE Advocacy Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging; and Philadelphia Gay News for the LGBTQ Media Award for Elevating Voices of LGBTQ People.
Task Force Deputy Executive Director Russell Roybal said the organization’s awards program aims to honor the work being done by individuals in the region where the conference is being held.
“How many times do people say ‘Thank you’ or give a pat on the back to someone who is doing so much work on behalf of their community?” Roybal said. “It’s an honor to be able to do that and to recognize folks in the community that we have Creating Change in.”
Transgender teen Edwards helped co-author the Philadelphia School District’s Policy 252 to establish protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. Additionally, she serves as a member on the Mayor’s Youth Commission, as an intern at The Attic Youth Center’s Justice League program and has spoken at several engagements and workshops.
“I think Hazel is a good example of what it means to turn the passion of your life and who you are into helping others,” Roybal said.
On Magpantay, Roybal mentioned his “passion and his dedication to making life better for API [Asian Pacific Islander] folks and immigrants.” Magpantay is the executive director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, where he does campaign work for immigrant rights and educates others about the struggles of LGBT API individuals.
“Glenn is one of the most hardworking people in the LGBTQ movement,” Roybal said. “He’s a passionate advocate and we are honored to be able to recognize his work.”
The Consortium will highlight Jensen’s work in providing resources to LGBT students as an administrator at the University of Maryland, College Park.
“He has represented the Consortium in different ways through different professional associations,” Roybal said. “His advocacy for LGBTQ people and for LGBTQ students had meant that those issues were considered and included in student affairs and higher education.”
Organizations will also be spotlighted at Creating Change.
SAGE will recognize those who pioneered John C. Andersen Apartments, Philadelphia’s LGBT-friendly facility that provides 56 housing units to low-income people over the age of 62. Roybal said this apartment project “helps us live out and proud for the rest of our lives.”
“Not only do we need to take care of young people in our movement but we need to take care of people as they age. Oftentimes, as LGBTQ people age, they sometimes have to go back into the closet in order to receive care,” Roybal said. “If you lived your life out and proud for 50 years and suddenly you need to go into an environment where you need care, there are not many options to live independently.”
Another organization being honored is PGN, which will receive the Media Award for providing a voice to the LGBT community for 40 years. This is the first time the Task Force staff has given out the award in the 29 years Creating Change has been active.
“[PGN] is one of the oldest LGBT weeklies in the country and for all of those years has not only reported the news about the LGBTQ community but has advocated for LGBTQ people,” Roybal said.
Roybal mentioned the Task Force has wanted to coordinate the conference in Philadelphia for a long time. He said he was looking forward to Creating Change showcasing the work being done in the city.
“It’s important for us that we recognize the tremendous organizing work that is happening on the ground in Philadelphia from folks like Mark [Segal, PGN publisher] and Jen [Colletta, PGN editor], who have been doing work for a long time, all the way to Hazel, who is a young person who has been doing work the last few years,” Roybal said. “I think it represents a continuum of activism and organizing that the Task Force wants to recognize in a city like Philadelphia.”
Creating Change will take place Jan. 18-22 at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott, 1201 Market St. To learn more about Creating Change and to register for the conference, visit www.creatingchange.org.