Logo Trailblazer Honors
Imagine yourself walking into a room filled with people who have made a positive impact on the world. People you admire deeply for what they have created and achieved. What would you do? How would you feel?
Last week, I was fortunate to attend the Logo Trailblazer Honors and to sit next to people who have pushed the envelope and have paved the way for the LGBTQ+ community. The Trailblazer Honors event commemorates the efforts and accomplishments of individuals who have fought to achieve equality for all. This year, the honorees included singer and activist Cyndi Lauper, choreographer Alvin Ailey, activist Cleve Jones, and the creators of “Will and Grace,” Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.
Being in the same room with such respected and loved honorees was intimidating at first. I began to think about what I have achieved in my life and nothing has compared to the accomplishments of the people around me. Soon my insecurities and judgments started to kick in. “I’m nothing compared to these people.” “What achievements can I ever make that would be close to what they have done?” After just a few minutes feeling this way, I learned a great lesson that shifted my thoughts. Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi introduced the first award. She started speaking about the honorees, what they have done and their similarities. When describing them and how they came to become respected contributors to the LGBTQ+ community, she said something along the lines of, “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, just find something you are passionate about and use it to help others.” Each of the honorees embodies this idea and took something that moved them and made great progress by acting on it.
Cyndi Lauper founded her organization the True Colors Fund, in her quest to help the large percentage of homeless LGBTQ+ youth in the United States. Alvin Ailey made it his mission to change the perspective on black culture and diversity through his modern dance company beginning in the late 1950’s when ethnicity separated society drastically. The sitcom “Will and Grace,” written by Mutchnick and Kohan, became a driving force for both gay and straight people to identify with the show’s characters and find similarities with and acceptance for all people.
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I connected greatly with Cleve Jones’s story of facing moments when you think, “It’s over now. It’s over.” It all started when Cleve Jones decided not to take his life after seeing a Time Magazine article on the gay rights liberation movement while hiding from bullies in the library at his school. After hitchhiking his way to San Francisco, Jones experienced the murder of Harvey Milk and the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic losing many of his friends and loved one. But no matter what, life continued to show him that he was not alone. Along with millions of strangers, Jones saw the importance of standing together for what is right and pushed back against the government and the pharmaceutical industry to release life-saving drugs for those dying of AIDS. Together, they created the AIDS Memorial Quilt honoring those who had died. The Quilt was so big that it covered the Washington DC Mall in its entirety and became known as one of the biggest collaborative projects of its time.
Needless to say, I left the Trailblazer Honors uplifted and inspired. I feel so thankful to be living in a country where I can marry the person I love without worrying for my life or feeling ashamed to be me. There are still many challenges ahead and I hope to one day find my way of giving back and contributing to the incredible journey that we are on. I will continue to pursue my passions in the hopes that those passions can be harnessed to make an impact; one that I am proud of and inspires others the way Lauper, Ailey, Mutchnick and Kohan, and Jones have.
:David