Equality Texas officials today (Wednesday, Nov. 1) announced the names of those being honored at the organization’s 4th annual Gala, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 6-9 p.m. at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin.
Tickets are available here for individual tickets at $250, with sponsorships also available here. Sponsorships of Equality Texas’ 4th annual Gala are considered tax-deductible gifts to the Equality Texas Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Sponsorship opportunities are fully customizable “to provide your organization with the desired level of recognition.”
For more information about sponsoring this event, email donate@equalitytexas.org.
Texas state Rep. Rafael Anchia, the Democrat representing the Dallas-based 103rd District, will receive the Profile in Courage Award in recognition of his work in the Texas House of Representatives since 2005. According to an Equality Texas press release announcing the awards, For years he has worked to pass legislation to ensure that children with two moms or two dads have accurate birth certificates. (He) gave a compelling speech on the floor of the house, demonstrating that religious liberty and equality are not in conflict;’ they can stand side by side.”
The press release notes that Anchia “has been committed to equality for nearly two decades, long before we saw openly LGBTQ people in office. He has been instrumental in advocating for policies to secure equal rights for the LGBTQ community. He has also used his position and power to help advocates for trans kids and parents when access to life-saving care was at risk.”
Verniss McFarland, executive director of The Mahogony Project, will receive the Monica Roberts Transgender Activist Award. McFarland is a national community mobilizer and consultant with more than 10 years of experience developing innovative community engagement initiatives, creating safe spaces and mobilizing minority LGBTQ individuals, the press release notes.
“I am committed to creating vibrant communities in the Houston region,” McFarland said. “Nevertheless, a great deal of work remains to be done. We need to improve legislation, policy and programming that addresses Black trans and gender-expansive human needs and inequities.”
Dianne Hardy-Garcia, former executive director of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas — now known as Equality Texas — will receive the Glenn Maxey Lifetime Achievement award. Hardy-Garcia, now a partner at Advocacy Marketing Group and living in Los Angeles with her wife Corri Planck and their daughters, was LGRL executive e director from 1993 to 2002, and during those years she “helped spearhead an anti-hate crime campaign that led to the passage of the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act,” the Equality Texas press release said.
Hardy-Garcia said, “Right now, LGBTQ+ Texans are facing gut-wrenching challenges on so many fronts and the upcoming legislative session looks to be particularly brutal. But we’ve been here before. I hope remembering the ways we stood up to previous challenges inspires us to galvanize wholeheartedly behind Equality Texas as we fight together for equality and justice in Texas.”
Also being honored with the Glenn Maxey Lifetime Achievement Award are the members of the Gonzales Family. According to the press release, “Rachel Gonzales is an advocate and ally in the movement for transgender equality. As the mother of a transgender child, Rachel fights to ensure that other parents are able to advocate for their transgender children, and that all transgender people receive the love and support that has allowed her trans daughter to thrive.
“Rachel has testified multiple times at the Texas Capitol, was an integral part of blocking Texas’s anti-transgender bathroom bill in 2017, and continues to push for trans equality across Texas and around the country. Rachel is a fourth-generation Texan based in Dallas where she lives with her husband, three children and three dogs.”
Bumble, a social network that “empowers people to make healthy connections, whether dating, looking for friends, or growing your professional network,” will receive the Business Champion award.
Heather Venard, Bumble’s director of social impact and sustainability, said, “As a Texas-based company founded with equality in mind, we’ve long admired the work of Equality Texas to secure full equality for the LGBTQ+ community in our home state. We will continue to prioritize critical community support, especially when it comes to issues that are fundamental to Bumble’s core values of kindness, respect, and equality.”
— Tammye Nash
