The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) celebrated its 33rd anniversary and their 2009 accomplishments t their annual gala May 1 in San Francisco.
Founded in 1977, NCLR is a national non-profit legal organization that works to advance the civil and human rights of LGBT people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
The organization used the occasion to presented several awards:
· Voice and Visibility Award: Vicki Randle, the only female member of the Tonight Show Band, starting with host Jay Leno in 1992.
· Fierce Ally Award: Will Phillips, the 10-year-old fifth grader from Arkansas who refused to say the US Pledge of Allegiance at West Fork Elementary School because of its false promise of “liberty and justice for all.”
· Outstanding Community Partner Award: Wolfe Video and Curve Magazine were honored for their unwavering support of the LGBT community and their long-standing relationship with NCLR.
Constance McMillen and Ceara Sturgis were special guests at the event. McMillen's high school canceled her prom rather than let her attend in a tuxedo with her girlfriend. Sturgis was told she could not wear a tuxedo in her senior picture and was omitted from her school’s yearbook.
Mississippi teens Ceara Sturgis (left) and Constance McMillen (right) join Fierce Ally Award recipient Will Phillips< /strong>
Jane Lynch (Glee) and Lara Embry, who celebrated their engagement at the event, were surprised with a custom cake by Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake. The couple met at last year’s gala.
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NCLR represented Embry in a lawsuit to maintain shared custody of children with a former domestic partner. The Florida Court of Appeals unanimously reversed a lower court ruling and held that Florida must give full faith and credit to adoptions granted to same-sex couples by other states, holding that Embry “must be given the same rights as any other adoptive parent in Florida.”
Funny ladies Kate Clinton (left) and Jane Lynch (center) join NCLR’s Executive Director Kate Kendell
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