The City of West Hollywood held a joint virtual ceremony of the annual Rainbow Key Awards 2021 and Etheridge Award on Thursday, August 19, 2021. The awards ceremony, hosted by comedian and Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board co-chair Jackie Steele, and entertainer Billy Francesca, is now available on YouTube via the WehoTV channel.
Each year, the West Hollywood City Council selects award recipients following recommendations made through a nomination process overseen by the City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board (LGAB).
Rainbow Key Awards 2021 honorees are:
- Dante Alencastre, local documentary filmmaker and LGBT community activist;
- Grace Baldridge, local musician and composer;
- Jeff Consoletti, principal of JJLA and producer of LA Pride;
- Sophie B. Hawkins, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, writer, actor, and painter;
- NiK Kacy, a gender-non-binary trans-masculine fashion designer and host of the annual Equality Fashion Week;
- Troy Masters, publisher, Los Angeles Blade, Los Angeles’ LGBT newspaper;
- Paulo Murillo, editor in chief and publisher of WeHo Times; and
- Dr. Adrian Ravarour, founder of San Francisco-based Vanguard, who is also a priest and spiritual artist.
The City of West Hollywood has, since 1993, presented Rainbow Key Awards to people and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the LGBTQ community. Previous honorees have included activists, artists, civic leaders, educators, community organizations, and many others. Contributions, whether by an individual or a group, may be in many forms, including the arts, community action, humanitarian action, sports, medicine, armed services, leadership potential, benefit to the global gay and lesbian community, or in other ways. More than 155 Rainbow Key Awards have been presented since the award’s inception.
This year’s Etheridge Award will be conferred to legendary LGBTQ+ rights activist and outgoing CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the former CEO of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Lorri L. Jean, for her relentless advocacy and tireless efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Etheridge Award was established by the City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian Visibility Committee, a committee formed to support and promote activism, creativity, and community for Lesbians. The Etheridge Award honors a woman who has made a significant impact within and for the Lesbian community and was first presented to singer-songwriter and activist Melissa Etheridge in 2007. Later, Ms. Etheridge agreed to the Committee’s request to create an award in her name because of her commitment to furthering women’s health and fostering visibility and support for the Lesbian community. In conjunction with her award, she was featured in a public service announcement created by the City of West Hollywood. The Etheridge Award has been presented to the following individuals and organizations: Melissa Etheridge; Supervisor Sheila Kuehl; Jinx Beers; Jewel Thais-Williams; Rita Gonzales; Ivy Bottini; Jeanette Bronson; Jeanne Cordova; June Mazer Lesbian Archives; Patrisse Cullors; and Marna Deitch.
To view the Rainbow Key Awards 2021 / Etheridge Award ceremony visit: https://wehotimes.com/wp-admin/post-new.php
Congratulations Paulo!!!