Former Attorney General Eric Holder to be Honored at Capital Pride Heroes Gala

Holder Will Receive Paving the Way Award for His Work on LGBT Equality – Nine Other Individuals and Organizations to Be Recognized

Washington, DC – Former Attorney General Eric Holder will receive the Paving the Way Award for his work to promote LGBT equality. The award will be presented at the Capital Pride Heroes Gala, June 3, at the Carnegie Library, 801 K Street, NW, at 7:00 pm. The Heroes Gala is presented by the Historical Society of Washington, DC.

The Paving the Way award honors those in public life who have shown courage and leadership in helping to advance the cause of LGBT rights.

“We are thrilled to honor Attorney General Holder for his work on behalf of the LGBT community,” said Bernie Delia, President of the Board of Directors of the Capital Pride Alliance. “Under his leadership, the U.S. Department of Justice has become a strong advocate and enforcer of equality under the law for all Americans, including those in the LGBT community. We are extremely proud to present him with the 2015 Paving the Way Award.

The Gala will also honor five Capital Pride Heroes for their dedication to the LGBT community in the DC metropolitan area and two Engendered Spirit Award recipients for their support and contributions to the betterment of the Trans community (full bios available at Heroes Gala):

Click here to view full bios.

Capital Pride Hero Bishop Gene Robinson, first openly gay bishop of the Anglican Communion.
Capital Pride Hero Alexandra Ernst, member of the HRC Board of Governors.
Capital Pride Hero Paul Kawata, Founder and Executive Director of the National Minority AIDS Council.
Capital Pride Hero Justin Markiewicz, Police Officer with the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Capital Pride Hero Heather Mizeur, former Maryland Delegate and gubernatorial candidate.

Engendered Spirit Award recipient Bobbi ElaineStrang, active volunteer with the DC Trans community.
Engendered Spirit Award recipient Kaprice Williams, full time volunteer at Casa Ruby.

Capital Pride will also present the Larry Stansbury Award to Whitman-Walker Health and the  Bill Miles Volunteer Award to Holly Goldmann.

The Larry Stansbury Award for Exemplary Contributions to Pride acknowledges outstanding efforts related to the annual Capital Pride celebration or Pride movement. Larry Stansbury was a longtime activist in the DC gay community, serving as a health educator, club manager, member of the leather community and gay motorcycle club groups, and executive director of Brother, Help Thyself.

The Bill Miles Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service acknowledges exemplary contributions to the annual Capital Pride celebration.  Bill Miles, Ed.D. was a dedicated volunteer and contributor to Capital Pride and an active member of the DC GLBT community.  He was a founding member of the Capital Pride Alliance.

The Capital Pride Heroes Gala is also sponsored by Hilton, Wells Fargo, Celebrity Cruises, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Yours Truly Lighting & Décor, Amtrak, Heineken, AnestasiA Vodka, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, and Main Event Caterers.

For more information on Capital Pride and the complete schedule of events, visit the Capital Pride website at capitalpride.org.

The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., is a community-supported educational and research organization that collects, interprets, and shares the history of our Nation’s Capital. Founded in 1894, it serves a diverse audience through its collections, public programs, exhibitions, and publications.

Capital Pride, located in Washington, DC, is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBT community and our allies through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity including the annual Pride Parade and Street Festival in our Nation’s Capital. Capital Pride produces one of the largest Pride Celebrations in North America with more than 350,000 attendees in 2014.  2015 marks the 40th Annual Celebration of Pride in the Nation’s Capital with our main celebration taking place June 3 – 14, 2015.  As the LGBT Pride Celebration representing the Nation’s Capital, we strive to be a beacon of hope and solidarity for cities and communities around the country and the world.