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Ally of the Year
Straight Ally of the Year
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The National Out Ally Day Straight Ally of the Year Award was created to celebrate and recognize someone who is a true out ally and lives their values everyday, authentically and outloud. The FIRST Straight Ally of the Year award recipient was Corey Fagan for many reasons. The most obvious reason is her unyielding support of Queer Owned Businesses and Artists through her work as Executive Director of First Friday Foundation of Las Vegas. The values of First Friday Foundation are Connect, Inspire, And Support and honors those values each day in all she does. She is a a true force of good and agent of change in the world who tells us to Be Who you are, Do what you want, Make a Difference and Change the World.
I identify as a straight woman who believes wholeheartedly in everyone being connected and being who you are. It doesn't matter how you identify, you just are and let’s accept people for their kindness, their love and how they contribute to our environment and community and how they support each other and lift each other up. I have a gay brother in law. He has been my brother-in-law (my brother) since he was three. One day he had to come out to his family, to us. He was frightened and scared. I was thinking ‘how is everyone going to accept that and what will it mean?’ I know I and his family were going to love and accept him for who he is but there was that fear. When you are really an ally you just accept. In your family, it shouldn’t be a worry or concern, but it is. I’ve seen his journey and it was difficult.
I have learned that the gay community is an ally of the straight community. I identify as straight and I can be ok too. Why can’t we all be ok together and just love everyone because I genuinely love everyone? I love who everyone is as a being. If you are here on earth you are here for a purpose.
Corey and Bursting Through Founder, Steve Petersen
Queer Ally of the Year
A Bursting Through Moment is a short story with a big impact. For this National Out Ally Day issue, we turned to our award winners and are sharing some of their heartfelt remarks and the moments of compassion and wisdom.
The National Out Ally Day Queer Ally of the Year Award was created to celebrate and recognize someone who truly knows how to make connections and engage with everyone they encounter. The FIRST Queer Ally of the Year award recipient was Will Rucker for many reasons. The most obvious reasons are his never ending commitment to social change as a community leader, minister, politician and gay man. . Throughout his life, Will has been guided by a clear sense of purpose directed by his values of compassion, fairness, and love. He is a true force of good and agent of change in the world. Will believes
Everyone deserves the opportunity to be safe, happy and to live at the level of their divine worth.
Even in outside moments I found a place to belong. I will never forget when I shared with my great grandmother that after a rough patch in my marriage, my husband and I had worked things out. She said “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus,” and then stopped because she was so confused. On one hand she was really happy but on the other she was not supposed to be happy because of her religion and it was such a weird space to be, but she knew that love made me happy and that mattered most to her. Nearly 20 years ago, my husband and I took a road trip and passed through Mississippi to visit my sister. At the time, my nephew was a young boy. She asked that we don’t do any “gay stuff” around him like hold hands, hug or show any affection because she didn’t want him exposed to it. This year, she came to visit with my nephew and the first thing she said was “Where is your husband?”
I try to live in such a way that the first thing people see is my love, not my orientation. Sometimes that means the first thing people have to see IS my orientation because of my love. It is so important that we live boldly, we live proudly and we continue to wave the rainbow flag until we don’t need it anymore.
You are not just a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop and what you do matters so live compassionately.
Will
If you like these Bursting Through Moments you can watch more on our YouTube channel by using the links below.
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Play THE NEPHEW Play THE COUSIN
Play THE TOWN Play THE SINGER
You did an amazing job last night with your event. The stories, the music, the heart! It was all felt and so well done. I hope you more than triple your awareness and audience for next year and one day our world gets to a space where we can all just be and not even need a room or stadium to create awareness because we are all on the same page of humanity.
“We are all allies to one another”
Thank you for what you do and for sharing your heart. Again, I was truly honored to be your first award recipient. And I am honored to have Bursting Through out at First Friday to help create positive conversations and critical thought processes.
Stay well and inspired.
Corey:
