Capital Pride Heroes
The Annual LGBT Celebration for the Washington, DC Metro Area
History. Vision. Legacy.
Each year, as a part of the week-long celebration of Capital Pride, we honor a select group of people from the greater metropolitan area who enhance and support the lives of the local GLBT community by making the world a better place in which to live.
Capital Pride Announces 2008 Capital Pride Heroes
Honorees to Be Recognized for Outstanding Contributions in Capital Pride Parade
May 29, 2007
Contact: Michael Lutz (202) 306-0722
WASHINGTON - The Capital Pride Planning Committee today announced six individuals who will be honored next month as Capital Pride Heroes for their extraordinary efforts to bring full equality to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. These heroes will be recognized in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 14. A list of the 2008 honorees follows:
Sean Bugg – Sean Bugg is co-publisher of Metro Weekly and editorial director of Jansi Media. He writes BuggBlog, a blend of politics, media, tennis and videogames, and Four Wheels Good, which features reviews and commentary on automotive issues and owns Ascribe Catering, a party and event planning business. Previously, Bugg directed the Social Marketing Project for the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, providing technical assistance to public health agencies on the uses and applications of social marketing tools for HIV prevention programs. He also worked for the HIV prevention program at Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington as the coordinator of the Male Sex Industry Project and Gay Men's Outreach. In the early 1990s, he was an active member of ACT-UP/DC, helping organize demonstrations such as "Hands Around the White House" and "Hands Around the Capitol." A native of Kentucky, Bugg moved to Washington in 1989 after receiving his B.A. in journalism from Washington and Lee University.
Noi Chudnoff (posthumous) – Noi Chudnoff was born in Thailand in 1947. At the age of 17, she moved to Seattle with her family. She married her husband, Jonathan, in 1974 and they have one son, Nissim. After spending several years in retail in Kensington and Eastern Market, Noi opened Go Mama Go on 14th Street, NW, in 2001. She quickly became one of the community's biggest supporters, donating money to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Whitman-Walker Clinic, the N Street Village and Ganymede Arts/Actors' Theatre of Washington, where she served as president of the board of directors. Noi passed away Nov. 6, 2007, at the age of 59.
Fred Lutz – Fred (Freddie) Lutz owns Freddie's Beach Bar and Restaurant, a "straight friendly" GLBT restaurant and bar in Arlington, Va., which celebrated its seventh anniversary this spring. Freddie offers a space for expression for everyone. Fledgling theatre groups and drag queens and drag kings have performed at his establishment. Karaoke singers perform three or more nights a week. He has hosted fundraisers for many organizations including the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance, Food & Friends, the Mautner Project, Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM), Transsexual Symposium Inc. and Whitman-Walker Clinic. He serves on the NOVAM board.
Heather Mizeur – Maryland Del. Heather Mizeur has worked on behalf of the African-American and Hispanic communities and the GLBT community to pass legislation in the Maryland General Assembly. She has worked to advance the rights of all people to be treated equally with respect to health care and is a leading supporter of marriage equality and transgender rights. Mizeur worked with U.S. Sen. John Kerry on health care before being elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2006. She and her partner, Deb, live in Takoma Park, Md. They are proud, practicing Catholics.
Bob Summersgill – Bob Summersgill is a leading advocate of expanding domestic partner and transgender rights in the District. He has written bills, developed legislative and political strategy, lobbied and testified. Summersgill has been the leading advocate in the District for the legal rights of intersexed people, bringing members of the Intersex Society of North America to brief the DC Office of Human Rights staff on intersexuality and it's medical, ethical and legal dimensions. He also arranged for the first briefing of OHR staff on transgender issues. Summersgill has worked with the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, was active in the reform of Washington's sodomy law, and created and maintained the now defunct website www.sodomylaws.org, which was used by lawyers and activists around the world to fight sodomy laws. In Maryland, he successfully worked to protect gay-themed books in the Montgomery County libraries, lobbied to repeal an anti-gay law and served as campaign manager for an openly gay candidate in Baltimore. He is a member of the political committee of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Rainbow History Project's advisory board, and works for the National Academy of Sciences as an administrative coordinator. He and his partner, Orlando Adan, are active in the DC Frontrunners. Previously, he was president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of the Gay and Lesbian Activists' Alliance.
SaVanna Wanzer – One of the transgender community's leading grass-roots advocates, SaVanna Wanzer works tirelessly to support the GLBT and HIV-positive communities. Wanzer was a founding member of Capital Trans Pride in 2007, and continues to lead this growing organization. She has volunteered with Whitman-Walker Clinic for more than seven years and currently serves on the Clinic's board of directors. She continues to volunteer and serve the transgender and HIV-positive communities in numerous capacities.
The 33nd celebration of Capital Pride will be marked by a weeklong series of educational, civic and social events, culminating with the annual parade on Saturday, June 14, and street festival Sunday, June 15.
SaVanna Wanzer, Bob Summersgill, Freddie Lutz, Sean Bugg, Patrick Metz (accepting for Heather Mizeur). Not pictured - Noi Chudnoff (posthumous recognition).
2007 Capital Pride Heroes
The Capital Pride Planning Committee today announced six0[OP0 individuals who will be honored next month as Capital Pride Heroes for their extraordinary efforts to bring full equality to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. These heroes will be recognized in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, June 9. A list of the 2007 honorees follows:
Sally Baird - Sally Baird became the first out lesbian elected to public office in the history of Virginia when she was elected to the Arlington County School Board in 2006. Prior to running for office, she had formed the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance Family, a group for families within AGLA. She also served on the AGLA board of directors.
Dana Beyer - Over the past six years, Dr. Dana Beyer has gone from being a closeted transgender woman to a leader of the national transgender movement. In 2006, she ran a viable and well-fought campaign to become the first ever openly transgender state legislator in the United States. Although she did not win, she broke down barriers simply through her effort.
Richard Madaleno - The first openly gay man elected to the Maryland state legislature, Rich Madaleno was elected to the House of Delegates in 2002. In 2006, he was elected to the State Senate. Prior to his election to the legislature, Senator Madaleno served on the board of directors of Free State Justice (now Equality Maryland) and played a crucial role in helping to pass Maryland's non-discrimination law.
Darlene Nipper - Darlene Nipper served as Director of the DC Office for GLBT Affairs from 2005-2007, where she became then-Mayor Anthony Williams's main representative to the city's GLBT community. She has also served in a volunteer or consulting capacity for several GLBT organizations, including the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, the Mautner Project and the Women in the Life Foundation.
Kevin Shipman - Kevin Shipman has been a voice of advocacy on GLBT substance abuse in DC government for more than 20 years. As a member of the Mayor's GLBT Advisory Committee, he has been an advisor to three DC mayors on substance abuse issues that affect our community. He also designed and implemented the first GLBT substance abuse treatment continuum funded by a state or local government.
Brian Watson - A very visible and vocal activist, Brian Watson currently serves as the director of programs for Transgender Health Empowerment, an organization that enhances the lives of transgender people in the DC area. He is also the current president of the DC Coalition of LGBT Men and Women, an organization he helped to revitalize in 2005.
Darlene Nipper, Sally Baird, Kevin Shipman, Richard Madaleno, Dana Beyer, and Brian Watson with Capital Pride Director Dave Mallory