The Next Generation Leadership Foundation (NGLF), the local nonprofit dedicated to mentoring and fostering potential LGBT leaders in various fields, is accepting nominations for the 2015 Next Generation Awards, presented by Metro Weekly.
Now in its seventh year, the Next Generation Awards honor young LGBT leaders or activists under the age of 30 who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and achievement in both their career and in their contributions to their community. Past award winners include leaders in the labor movement, equal rights advocates, business leaders, community activists and professionals in various fields. All award winners are chosen from a pool of nominations submitted by community members. Nominations can be submitted online through Friday, April 10th.
“We’re very excited for this year’s awards,” said Sean Bugg, the executive director of NGLF. “It’s always an honor for us to be able to recognize such amazing young LGBT leaders in such a prominent way through Metro Weekly.”
The awards were first launched by Metro Weekly in 2009. The magazine announces and profiles each winners — four in total — in a special edition of the magazine, this year slated to hit newsstands on April 30. The awards inspired the formation in 2013 of the independent NGLF, best known for its Leadership Institute — a national program that brings LGBT high school students to Washington during the summer for leadership training and networking opportunities.
“We’re proud to not only continue our support of the awards but to support the work of NGLF,” said Randy Shulman, publisher of Metro Weekly. “As always, we look forward to creating a unique showcase for these outstanding LGBT youth and young adults.”
The Next Generation Awards will be presented on Thursday, May 7, at the Beacon Bar and Grill, 1615 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Tickets can be purchased online at NGLF’s website for $55, or are available for $60 at the door. Nominations may be submitted online through Friday, April 3 via nglf.org/nga-nominations. For more information on NGLF, visit nglf.org.
Lucien Bates, a transgender man, says security guards threatened to arrest him after he used the women’s restroom at a Round1 arcade inside the North Riverside Park Mall in suburban Chicago. Bates, an Indiana resident, was visiting the venue on September 28 with his fiancé and a friend to play Dance Dance Revolution.
Bates, who presents as alt-masculine with facial hair and piercings, had just arrived at the arcade when he needed to use the restroom. He chose the women’s restroom, a decision he often makes in public because he feels safer there and is less likely to be harassed.
I remember doing the time warp in a living room. As a gay kid in the suburbs of Seattle who loved black-and-white monster movies like Bride of Frankenstein, I was drawn to The Rocky Horror Picture Show in late-night viewings on cable. Overloaded in image and sound, Rocky Horror had everything: a spooky old mansion, creepy caretakers, a young couple in danger, rock and roll.
And still more: Patricia Quinn's blood red, disembodied lips. Barry Bostwick's buttoned-up Brad Majors dressed down to his high-waisted tighty-whities. Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist in fishnets and heels. And, of course, that writhing bundle of muscles, bulging in gold booties and briefs, the credit to Frank's Frankensteinian genius, Peter Hinwood's Rocky Horror, the film's titular Adonis.
An interracial gay couple who run an award-winning farm in King George County, Virginia, say they were the targets of a hate-filled act after someone deliberately dumped medical waste on their property following last week’s state elections.
Kevin Graham, 44, and Dragan Kurbalija, 47, own Gardening Gays Farm, a 27-acre property along U.S. Route 301 where they sell flowers, eggs, seasonal produce, and pasture-raised meats, including lamb and chicken.
They also sell jams, sauces, teas, herbal remedies, local honey, handcrafted candles, and other artisan goods at their on-site store, and share their experiences as farmers on YouTube. The business was recently voted King George County’s “Overall Best Business,” “Best Family-Owned Business,” and “Best Agricultural Business” in a county-sponsored “Best of the Best” contest.
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