On Thursday, July 19, the White House will honor ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things across the country to ensure safety, dignity, and equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, as demonstrated by their inspiring video entries in the LGBT Pride Month Video Challenge.
“Today’s Champions of Change have worked tirelessly
to improve the lives of LGBT people across the country, and they
represent countless other individuals and organizations who are equally
dedicated to equal rights for LGBT people,” said
Jon Carson, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
“The collective efforts of these Champions, and others like them, are
crucial to achieving our goal of full equality for all Americans, no
matter their sexual orientation or gender identity.
We are honored to join them in the march towards a more perfect union.”
The Champions of Change program was created as a part
of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a
different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from
educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders,
are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen
their communities.
See list of honorees after the jump.
JJ Kahle
JJ
Kahle is a Spanish teacher at The Blake School in Minneapolis and also
serves in the Office of Equity and Community Engagement at Blake in the
role of GLBTQ Support and
Advocacy. JJ is the faculty advisor for the Gay Straight Alliance and
The Justice League (social justice student group) at her school. She
lives in South Minneapolis with her partner, Judy, and their children.
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
CenterLink:
The Community of LGBT Centers supports the development of strong,
sustainable LGBT community centers to build a unified center movement.
Founded in 1994, the
organization assists LGBT centers in addressing the challenges they
face by helping them improve their organizational and service delivery
capacity and increase access to public resources. There are over 200
LGBT community centers across the United States,
with new centers forming on a regular basis. LGBT community centers
work more closely with their LGBT constituency and engage more community
leaders and decision-makers than any other LGBT network in the
country. Over 1.7 million people are served annually
by centers and benefit from the culturally competent social services
and other programs offered through these critical community-based
organizations, which points to the enormous impact the LGBT center
movement has on the health and lives of LGBT people.
The Military Acceptance Project (MAP)
The
Military Acceptance Project (MAP) promotes acceptance of all service
members, veterans and their families through enlightenment, empowerment
and service. The organization
was founded by graduate students at the University of Southern
California’s School of Social Work, San Diego Academic Center in April
of 2011. As service members, combat veterans, military family members
and active supporters of the military, MAP’s founders
believe that all people who willingly support and defend the
Constitution of the United States deserve to feel accepted and be
treated equally in their daily lives. The MAP team facilitates
dialogue-based acceptance training within the community, conducts
virtual support groups and connects service members with pro bono
mental health providers. MAP’s long-term goal is to host discussions in
communities and businesses across the nation about acceptance and its
role in making organizations stronger.
George Stewart
George
Stewart, 80 years old, is a former Army clerk and U.S. Air Force court
reporter. He currently lives in Harlem, New York, and is an integral
part of the community
– singing in church show choirs and volunteering at the Services &
Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) Harlem office. In the past year, George
has donated his time and face to SAGE – illustrating that you don’t
have to stop being active when you get older. A
featured speaker at the opening of the country’s first innovative LGBT
senior center – The SAGE Center – George spoke on behalf of thousands of
New York City LGBT elders who need the programs, services and advocacy
that SAGE provides.
The Redwood String Ensemble
The
Redwood String Ensemble was formed in 2009 through the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music where the ensemble, consisting of Summer Lusk,
Mckenzie Bauer, Lauren Spaulding,
and Rachel Grandstrand, studied under the tutelage of Viola Professor
Karen Ristcher and Violin Professor Marilyn McDonald.
Heather Carter
Heather
Carter developed the LGBT youth suicide prevention program, OUTLoud,
through financial support provided by The Raynier Institute and
Foundation in 2007. Since that
time, OUTLoud has grown from one training presentation and minimal
exposure to a menu of training modules and recognition across Washington
State and beyond. Ms. Carter serves on a statewide committee to oversee
the implementation of HB 1163, Washington’s
anti-bullying law. In partnership with the Suicide Prevention Resource
Center, she is also a member in a community of practice focused on LGBT
youth suicide prevention, and she provides trainings throughout
Washington State and the country on the issues of
LGBT youth suicide and bullying and bias based harassment.