OXON HILL, Md. — The day before Pride Month begins, the DMV will honor outstanding people within the LGBTQ+ community in the annual Capital Pride Honors event.
At the honors event, the Capital Pride Alliance recognizes incredible people, leaders, and activists in the National Capital Region who have furthered causes important to the LGBTQ+ community. Honorees will be recognized MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill on Friday, May 31 starting at 7:30 p.m.
The event will be emceed by WUSA9's own Lorenzo Hall, and will include special guests Crystal Waters, DJ Honey, and Black Leaves Dance Company.
Here's a look at the 2024 honorees:
Heroes
The Hero Award recognizes those who have brought positive changes to the LGBTQ+ community in the region.
- Hope Giselle: Since graduating, Giselle quickly established herself as a leading voice in the fight for inclusion and social justice, using her platform to advocate for the rights of trans and Black people in both public and private spaces. She has also established non-profit organization, AllowMe, which has a mission to motivate LGBTQIA+ youth of color to explore their unique abilities with regard to leadership and creativity.
- Jamison Henninger: Since 2017, Henninger has headed the DC Area Transmasculine Society, a community-based organization that aids transmasculine individuals in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Under his guidance, the society has initiated several programs including one that has provided thousands of free chest binders to young people nationwide.
- Kenya Hutton: Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for HIV prevention on the local and national level. He has also brought awareness to young adults in the LGBTQ community as well as the House/Ball community. In recent years he has also been a leading voice in urging research and intervention addressing substance use in the ballroom community.
- Carol Jameson: She has worked in the Northern Virginia community for over 35 years, developing and managing programs that address health care disparities and provide access to health care services to those who are underserved. She began her social work career at Inova Fairfax Hospital as a social worker supporting patients with HIV/AIDS. She went on to be a core member of the team that established the Inova Health System HIV/AIDS Program, now known as the Juniper Program.
- Tula: With her perfectly styled hair, glitz, and glamour has been in the industry for more than 30 years. Tula even hosts regular cabaret shows in the District. The former title holder and member of the Academy of Washington, D.C. brings a plethora of stage experience to any show she is in.
- José Alberto Uclés: For the past 23 years he has worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation as the Hispanic Outreach Spokesperson, and Public Affairs Specialist for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). He provides life-saving traffic safety messages and more to over 62 million Spanish speakers living in the U.S.
Breaking Barriers
The Breaking Barriers: Community Impact Award shines a light on a person or organization who has demonstrated a significant impact to the LGBTQ+ community on the local or national level. In addition, has helped to eliminate barriers for social, personal, or professional growth for the community.
- Iya Dammons: In 2018, she founded Maryland Safe Haven (MSH), and created a chapter and 2023 DC Safe Haven, nonprofit organizations based on the civil rights model of “each one, teach one”, and “for us, by us.” MSH provides dedicated TLGBQIA+ housing, workforce development, HIV testing, healthcare, legal services and she is currently slowly building its D.C. counterpart to replicate the same service division. Her passion includes investigating in emerging trans leaders, and that shows as MSH is now the largest employer of TLGBQIA+ lived-experience staff in the state of Maryland and the only trans-led nonprofit in the DMV.
The Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service
The award acknowledges exemplary contributions to the Capital Pride Alliance, its programs, initiatives or other Pride sponsored activities.
- Bryan Davis: He is the current Volunteer Chair with the Capital Pride Alliance, and before Davis serviced as the Executive Producer and Chair for Accessibility and as an Interpreter Coordinator.
- William Hawkins: He started volunteering with Capital Pride in 2017, and every year continues this path. In 2018, Hawkins volunteered as part of the production team, not knowing what team to join, he was selected as an Executive Producer of Health and Safety. Soon, Hawkins became a member of the Capital Pride Chairship as the Health and Safety Chair and still operates in the role.
The Larry Stansbury Award
The Larry Stansbury Award for Exemplary Contributions to Pride acknowledges amazing efforts in relation to programs and initiatives of the annual Capital Pride Alliance or the Pride movement.
- Destination DC: The lead organization to manage and market D.C. as a premier global convention, tourism, and special events destination with an emphasis on the arts, cultural, and historical communities.
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