Listen to this articleOrganizers of the 2015 Utah Pride Festival are calling for nominations for two annual community awards to be presented at the 2015 Utah Pride Festival. Nominations are requested from the community-at-large for the following prestigious awards:
The Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award: Established in 1987 this award was first presented to Dr. Kristen Ries for her humanitarian efforts in dealing with the AIDS crisis, and forever named in her honor. This award recognizes outstanding service to the greater lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Utah, and is given to individual(s) who are dedicated to continuing that legacy of service. Those who receive this award are role models for Utah’s LGBTQ community, and like Dr. Kristen Ries “exemplify everything that the award has stood for: compassion, leadership and courage.” The recipient is chosen by past recipients of the award. Some of the most recent recipients include Rep. Jackie Biskupski, Doug Fadel, Stan Pendfold, Walter Larrabee, Mark Swonson, Michael Aaron, Valerie Larabee, Brandie Balken, Mark Lawrence, and Fran Pruyn.
The Pete Suazo Political Action Award: Established in 2002 in honor of Senator Pete Suazo’s tireless attempts to pass Hate Crimes legislation in Utah, paired with his continual efforts to remind the Utah State Legislature of the great diversity found in our state. This award is presented to an elected Utah official who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to equal rights for the LGBTQ community of Utah through legislation, policy or declaration. The recipient is chosen by a committee including leaders of Equality Utah, Stonewall Democrats, Log Cabin Republicans, Human Rights Campaign and the Utah Pride Center. Recent winners include Mayor Rocky Anderson, Rep. David Litvak, Sen. Karen Hale, Mark Shurtleff , Paula Julander, Rep. Carol Spackman-Moss, Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., Rep. Christine Johnson, Mayor Ralph Becker, Mayor Ben McAdams, Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, and Sim Gill.
Award recipients will be recognized during the Utah Pride Festival’s annual Grand Marshal Reception and Awards Celebration on Friday, June 5. Recipients will also be honored at the annual Utah Pride Parade on Sunday, June 7.
Nominations for both awards are due by March 21 at 5:00 p.m. Nominations can be made online at UtahPrideFestival.org. Nominations should include the name and contact information for the individual making the nomination, the name of the individual being nominated, the name of the award the individual is nominated for, and a narrative of at least 100 words justifying the nomination. Please email questions to awards@utahpridefestival.org.
Details for the Grand Marshal Reception will be available on the official Utah Pride Festival website.
