WEHOville: Christopher Street West Announces LA Pride 2013 Honorees
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has been named Community Grand Marshal for LA Pride 2013. The announcement was made Monday (May 13) by Rodney Scott, president of Christopher Street West, the non-profit organization that produces LA Pride and has advocated for the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender community for 43 years.
The mission of NGLTF, founded 40 years ago, is to train activists and help state and local organizations build campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation.
“Honoring those who have taken a public stance against inequality, those who continually support our community and those who have dedicated their life’s work to LGBT issues are the reason we celebrate LA Pride every year” Scott said.
Scott also announced other honorees for LA Pride, which is officially celebrated June 7 through 9. A host of special events are scheduled in the preceding week in Los Angeles and West Hollywood. The actual LA Pride parade and festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people to West Hollywood each year, is set for June 9.
The other LA Pride awards and honorees are as follows:
PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD| U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-41st District)
Takano’s election last November made him the first openly gay, non-white member of Congress. Takano is Sansei — the grandson of people born in Japan who immigrated to the United States. In his 20 years of public service he has been a school teacher and since 1990 a member of the Riverside Community College board of trustees.
The Person Of The Year Award is given to an individual who, for the past year, has had a major impact working for the betterment of the entire LGBT community.