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NEWS RELEASECONTACT: Missy S. Toms, 202.674.7717 or
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2012
Making Our Community a Better PlaceFive LGBT Heroes Tirelessly
Serve the DC Metro Area
Washington, DCCapital Pride is proud to announce the recipients
of the 37th Annual
Capital Pride Heroes Award: Andrew Barnett, Ebon Bell, Michelle
Benecke, KevinPaul Platte, and Justin B. Terry-Smith. These five
awardees will be honored at theCapital Pride Heroes Gala &
Silent Auction on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 6:30-9:30p.m., at
LivingSocial, 918 F Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Each year members of the community nominate individuals who have
helped to further
the causes of the LGBTA community. A committee then selected
this years top LGBTAheroes from those nominations. In addition to
the gala, Heroes are honored throughoutthe two-week celebration of
Pride.
For complete biographies of the awardees and more information
about the Heroes Gala& Silent Auction, visit the Capital Pride
website at www.capitalpride.org or call202.719.5304.
The 2012 Capital Pride Heroes are as follows:
Andrew Barnett is passionate about empowering LGBTQ youth to be
advocates andagents of change in the broader community. Since 2009,
he has served as executive
director of the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL),
the only community-based organization in the DC metro area solely
dedicated to supporting lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender, and
questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Serving more than 300 youngpeople
directly every year, SMYAL improves the lives of thousands more by
providingexpert training on LGBTQ youth issues to teachers, social
workers, and other communitymembers throughout the region. Andrew
began his LGBTQ youth advocacy work in highschool and continued
through his school years at the Evergreen State College. Sincethen,
he has devoted his professional career to serving the LGBTA
community. Under
Andrews leadership, SMYAL has evolved from a drop-in support
center to an
organization that promotes youth leadership, self-efficacy, and
advocacy.
Ebon Bell, founder of B.O.I. Marketing & Promotions, LLC,
has been creating and
promoting events for the LGBTQ community for the past six years.
In September 2006,she founded the Queer Women's Prom, an annual
event that benefitted The Women'sCollective for those living with
HIV/AIDS. She expanded the prom to the entire LGBTQcommunity and
this March produced the Sixth Annual Capital Queer Prom. Since
itsinception, the Prom has given more than 2,000 LGBTQ adults and
their allies a secondchance to have the prom that many never had.
In addition to her active involvement witha diverse group of
organizationsCapital Pride, Capital Area Gay & Lesbian
Chamberof Commerce, Whitman-Walker Health, Women in the Life,
Mautner Project, and manymoreEbon performs throughout the
Mid-Atlantic region as E-Cleff, a drag king with
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the DC Kings. She was voted Best Drag King in 2007, 2009, 2010,
and 2011.
Michelle Benecke has a distinguished public service career as a
leader, advocate, andentrepreneur. She co-founded and led
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN),the pioneering legal
aid and policy organization that galvanized the successful effort
torepeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). In addition to providing
legal assistance to military
members, SLDN built a national movement to overturn DADT and
became the "crediblesource" for Capitol Hill, the executive branch,
and military policymakers. Michellecontinues her work advising
advocates and military officials on the transition to a post-DADT
military, interacting regularly with Administration officials,
military leaders, andCongress and appearing in the New York Times
and the Washington Postand on CNNand various other network news
programs. Michelle began her career as acommissioned officer in the
United States Army and currently serves as a federal civilservant
in leadership roles establishing and building homeland security
organizations.She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and
Harvard Law School, where she wasrecently selected as a Wasserstein
Fellow in recognition of her public serviceaccomplishments.
Kevin Platte founded the DC Cowboys Dance Company in 1993 on a
whim for what hethought was going to be a one-time performance.
Wanting to put together his ownunique style of entertainment for
the local DC gay rodeo benefit, Kevin gathered some ofhis friends
from the local gay country/western nightclub and together they
performed afew dance numbers. Now in its 18th and final season, the
DC Cowboys have achievedinternational fame, representing the DC gay
community throughout the world. ThroughKevin's guidance as
volunteer artistic and executive director, the dance group has
givenback to the gay community by providing support and free
entertainment to numerousorganizations and raising money for
HIV/AIDS charities through the sale of theirmerchandise. The
Cowboys have been a mainstay on the Capital Pride stage and in
theParade and have supported numerous community-based HIV/AIDS
supportorganizations, including Whitman-Walker Health, Northern
Virginia AIDS Ministry, DC
AIDS Walk, Food and Friends, Paul Malerba Foundation, and
Lazarus House in NewOrleans post-Hurricane Katrina. Their most
visible appearance was as semi-finalists onNBC's third season
ofAmerica's Got Talent.
Justin B. Terry-Smith has used the challenges and struggles in
his own life for thebetterment of others. After serving in the
United States Air Force, Jason moved to DC in1993 and began working
at Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc., a
non-profitorganization for those living with HIV/AIDS. In 2005,
Justin learned that he was HIVpositive. After searching for
information about other African American gay men livingwith HIVand
finding noneJustin established Justin's HIV Journal, a blog that
detailshis life with HIV. In 2011, Justin published a children's
HIV-themed book, I Have aSecret, about a young boy forced to keep
his HIV status a secret from his friends and
schoolmates. Justin used his book to help protest the decision
by the Milton HersheySchool in Pennsylvania to deny entry to an HIV
positive student. In February 2012,Justin began an advice column,
"Just*in Time," for A&U, America's AIDSMagazine. Since then he
has started his own campaign in collaboration withthebody.com
called, "Write a Letter to HIV Campaign. In 2009, Justin won the
title of Mr.Maryland Leather and used it to raise funds for the
Elizabeth Glazier Pediatric AIDSFoundation.
Capital Pride is organized by Capital Pride Alliance, Inc., a
non-profit entity incorporated
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