Philadelphia Gay News hosted its annual Stonewall Awards Brunch at the Arts Ballroom on June 4 to honor individuals and organizations that have made positive changes in the LGBTQ community. Visit Philadelphia and Live Casino co-sponsored the event, and meteorologist Adam Joseph served as MC.
Gov. Josh Shapiro received the Ally Award for his work fighting for LGBTQ rights as an organizer, Montgomery County commissioner, attorney general, and now as governor. Shapiro fought to get nondiscrimination laws passed in Montgomery County and has committed to passing the Fairness Act, expanding hate crime laws and protecting marriage equality as governor.
When he addressed the crowd, Shapiro acknowledged that there is still a lot more work to be done in terms of achieving full equality for LGBTQ communities.
“We all understand the importance of building strong coalitions to make progress and helping throughout that process others find their voice, help others find their power so that they can advance the ball,” Shapiro said. Part of that work, he said, is standing up against conservative politicians who want to harm LGBTQ communities.
“We’ve got to guard against a lot of forces of evil that are rearing their ugly heads again, especially directed toward our trans kids right now,” Shapiro added. “It is shameful that there are leading politicians in our country who think that their way of achieving success is bullying these kids. We have a responsibility to stand up against that. You know why these people bully these children? Because they are profoundly, pathetically weak people, and we cannot allow them to take a hold of our politics. We cannot allow them to gain further positions of public trust. These kids deserve better.”
Amber Hikes, chief equity and inclusion officer for the ACLU and former director of Philly’s Office of LGBT Affairs, presented the Community Unity Award to the QTBIPOC radical social justice organization galaei. Executive Director Tyrell Brown accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
“The work that we’ve done at galaei for the last year has really been about cultivating a space where people felt like it was home and a safe space, especially when too many of us come from homes where it’s not safe,” Brown said at the event. “I wanted to make sure that we were building that back into galaei, building a community at galaei for everyone to come and have our doors open to anyone. I think when we’re talking about unity, that was really what inspired me.”
Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis presented the LGBTQ+ Youth Award to The Attic Youth Center. As Executive Director Jasper Liem accepted the award on behalf of the organization, he told the room that he wished that all of the youth who have been a part of The Attic could have been there.
“It’s youth who have built The Attic. We just provided the scaffolding, and they forever changed the landscape of Philadelphia,” Liem said. “Just one year after The Attic’s inception, 12 youth testified at the school district; they opened the first LGBTQ youth conference in San Francisco; they initiated and grew GSAs in our schools; they worked to develop LGBTQ youth groups like the Rainbow Room in Bucks County, like the Main Line Youth Alliance. That was over 20 years ago. These are resources that we still need, possibly more than ever.”
Democratic mayoral nominee Cherelle Parker gave a heartfelt speech about her political career, her journey as a Black woman in politics and if elected, how she plans to collaborate with local and state leaders to exact change in Philadelphia. She invited several community leaders and allies to stand on the stage with her, including actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, City Council member Mark Squilla, City Council nominee Rue Landau, State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, State Sens. Vince Hughes and Sharif Street, U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, and Estelle Richman.
“The only thing I’m asking each and every one of you in this room to do is to remember that I’m not you, but I’ve been a strong ally,” Parker told the packed house. “So when it comes to dealing with issues we need to deal with, you’re going to consult me; you’re going to help me. I’m going to stand side by side with you, together.”
Chris Bartlett, executive director of William Way LGBT Community Center, presented the Legacy Award to longtime activist David Fair. Fair spoke about how his approach to advocacy differed greatly from that of PGN founder Mark Segal.
“My activism has been dedicated to a variety of causes and issues over the years, including for and within but not limited to the LGBT community,” Fair said. “We chose diverging paths, and only as older men have we realized they’ve complemented each other in ways we could never have imagined. So today, I’m deeply moved and honored to be recognized by Mark Segal and PGN, and I’m proud to honor them as well.”
Sen. Sharif Street presented the Lifetime Achievement award to Richman, who has done substantial government work in public health and behavioral health, and is currently spearheading an initiative to tackle Philly’s gun violence crisis. She said that the accomplishment that she is most proud of is her work “stopping the war in the HIV field in Philadelphia.”
“I blew up the committees about three times to get the right configuration of folks who were making the decisions. It had to be a lot of people who were living and dying to make the decisions, because that’s what stopped the war. I think what I like is always finding a way to listen to the people who are most likely to be affected by the policy.”
Segal presented the Visibility Award to out TV personality and actor Carson Kressley, perhaps best known for his roles on the shows “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“There’s so much history of acceptance and pride here in Philadelphia,” Kressley said in his speech. “I think it comes from the Quakers who just believe and see the light inside other humans. They don’t have to believe everything that you believe. They don’t have to be the same religion or color or sex or the same kind of family. They just said everybody has humanity inside of them. That’s what visibility means to me.”
After Joseph presented the Jeff Guaracino Innovation and Spirit Award to Visit Philadelphia, he received an award of his own – the Equality Media Award.
With his husband by his side, Joseph shared his struggle with his sexual orientation as a youth and an adult. Now, as an outwardly gay man in the news media, he pointed out the importance of being visible with his partner and their family.
“I just want you to understand that what you see today came with a lot of sacrifices and a lot of hardship,” Joseph told the crowd. “Why we share our family is to try to continue to educate those who don’t or may not understand that it is okay, and we do love our children and our children are just like every other family. In our schools we don’t know anyone that has gay parents. So we’re going to continue to educate and share that love of our family, and I hope that one day everyone will understand.”
To watch the Stonewall Awards, visit https://6abc.com/.
