More than 300 people of all races, genders and sexual orientations gathered at the Renaissance Hotel Thursday to celebrate the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s second annual Sparkle Glitter GLSEN Fundraising Cocktail Party and Award ceremony.
Four individuals received awards for their efforts to make Phoenix-area schools more inclusive for the LGBTQ community and allies.
GLSEN Phoenix is a chapter of the larger national organization that aims to ensure students are respected no matter their sexual orientation, Ricardo Martinez, co-chair of GLSEN Phoenix, said.
“When we started brainstorming this event two years ago, we really never thought that it would get this big,” Martinez said.
The three-hour event showcased a video with testimonials from students, educators and donors speaking out about how much GLSEN had affected their lives in a positive way.
The Dr. Eileen Yellin Safe Schools Advisor Award was presented to Colleen Mendoza, the Gay-Straight Alliance sponsor for Hamilton High School in Chandler. Mendoza has worked to create safe places for all sexualities in schools, demonstrating her long commitment to the LGBTQ youth.
“I just hope it makes people more aware of our young LGBTQ people that need our support, particularly now in these political times,” Mendoza said. “They need our support. they need our love. They’re great kids, and I just really hope that everything that comes from this is positive.”
The Legacy Award was given to former GLSEN Phoenix Chair, Dr. Madelaine Adelman, Associate Professor of Justice & Social Inquiry in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University, for exhibiting dedication and leadership to help LGBT students in schools by developing school communities that respect all sexual orientations.
Carrick Sears received the Ally Award for addressing the harassment of LGBTQ students in Phoenix schools and emphasizing the importance of stopping it. During his speech, Sears spoke of his experiences of being bullied in the seventh grade and how he had wished something like GLSEN was around to make him feel safe.
“Together we can make a difference in our community,” Sears said. “It all starts with our youth.”
Sears’s friend, Anndrea Gayton, was at the event for support.
“I know that we segregate ourselves even by labeling gays, straight, what have you,” Gayton said. “We’re all people, you know, and there is so much strife going on right now between different races and everything else that people need to understand that we are all here together. We all need to stick together and stay together in order to make this world a better place.”
The Gay-Straight Alliance club of Tempe High School was awarded with the GSA of the Year award for representing the ideas of GLSEN Phoenix and their ultimate goal of stopping bullying in the schools.
“We won’t slow, and we won’t stop,” Aaron Moffat, vice president of Tempe High School’s GSA, said about the continuation to fight for LGBTQ equality. “Our struggle isn’t over but I promise it’s in good hands.”
Contact the reporter at bayne.froney@asu.edu.
