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EQUALITY TEXAS' FIFTH ANNUAL GALA

Menu FIRST COURSE Texas Greens Salad (Vegetarian, No Added Gluten) Baby greens, mission figs, toasted pumkin seeds, feta cheese, butternut squash, port wine vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE Porcini Dusted Airline Chicken Breast (No Added Gluten) Truffle-Chive Pommes Purée, Baby Carrots, Herb Chicken Au Jus

DESSERT Ultimate Chocolate Cake (Vegetarian, No Added Gluten) Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Shavings

BEVERAGES Ice Water Coffee Iced Tea

Howdy!

There was something so ominous about walking into this legislative session, knowing that it would be worse than before—worse than a record-breaking year stuffed to the brim with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In 2021 we had 76 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills over the course of the regular session and three special sessions. This year we had over 140 bad bills, many filed before the session even started.

During session we only had 12 full-time staffers, and yet we marshaled thousands to the capitol. Early in the session, we pulled off a rally with only two and a half hours. One hundred people showed up. When we had two and a half days to rally against the healthcare ban, nearly four thousand people dropped cards against the bill, over a thousand were chanting with us and our community partners in the outdoor rotunda, and hundreds were still there at midnight when the committee cut off debate.

When I talk about our team, you should know each of our departments has two to five people. Yet these folks are stirring up the whole state. Our policy team are experts, a reliable resource for lawmakers and partners on LGBTQIA+ legislation. Our field team is active. They not only trained thousands to drop cards and speak to lawmakers, they fanned out across the state to bring Equality Texas to 80+ pride events in cities and rural communities from the Rio Grande Valley to Dallas. Our comms team is driving our message into homes across the state every day, whether that’s through local papers, the evening news, or our rapidly growing social presence. And while we’ve been able to remain nimble on a limited budget, our Development team is working to tee up continued growth as we reach into communities that have been underserved by the movement.

Recently, we’ve been on a quest to better understand ourselves and what we contribute to the Texas ecosystem. One of our consultants challenged us to answer this question: Are we a statewide organization, or do we have a statewide impact? It’s not an easy question to answer. Everything we do in the capitol clearly has an impact on the lives of every single person in this state. But we are not merely an Austin organization rubbing elbows with the political establishment. Our staff live in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin. Our team hosts events in small towns across the state. With the help of our board members, steering committee and volunteers we’ve been in suburbia pushing back against censorship at school board meetings, and in the heart of the metropolis educating voters.

It takes a lot of fire for a team this small to tackle so much. We could not do what we do without a dynamite team, and we cannot afford to lose them. As the political landscape becomes more hostile, as violence against our community reaches record-breaking numbers, we must look to the future. We need full-time staff in every corner of this state, we need a team big enough to handle this massive workload, and today you can pave the way for that future.

Ricardo Martinez CEO, Equality Texas

Evening Program 7:00PM | Governor’s Ballroom Performance - Drag Performance Sierra Mykels, Monica Monae Davenport, Celia Light, Mars Welcome - Opening Remarks Chasten Buttigieg Profile in Courage - Award José Menéndez, Texas State Senator Exclusive Viewing - Documentary Short I Need Space Monica Roberts Trans Activist of the Year - Award Meghan Fairbanks Performance - Music Artist Adam Mac Dinner

8:00PM | Governor’s Ballroom Welcome - Speaker Ricardo Martinez, CEO Glen Maxey Lifetime Achievement - Award Carter Brown Performance - Music Artist Kameron Ross Business Champion - Award EXTRAGRAMS! Recognizing Veterans - Speaker MarkAnthony Balderas Live Giving - Speaker Brigitte Bandit Thank You - Speaker Justin McCormick

Silent Auction

TAP BELOW SILENT AUCTION

Angela Gutierrez Angelique The Deep Klean Qween August Morgan by Kate Hersch Austin Opera Brad Pritchett Brad Stuver C3 Presents Clean Gleam Art Circle Brewing DanTrelArt FBR Management Fierce Whiskers Fonda San Miguel Hai Hospitality Happy Fr!day

Park Lane Guest House QueerTingz Robin Jackson Photography Sante Fe Optical Slowpoke Still Austin SXSW The Great Outdoors The Houston Rockets The Little Gay Shop The Spurs Turpentine Creek Uptown Players Warby Parker - Austin

Awards & Honorees Profile in Courage JosÉ MenÉndez Texas State Senator The Honorable José Menéndez is a Texas State Senator serving District 26 in San Antonio. He has been a powerful voice in support of LGBTQIA+ Texans and other marginalized groups. During the Senate floor debate on SB 12, he delivered a captivating speech directed towards the viewer’s gallery in which he decried the bill and expressed unwavering support for the queer and trans community.

Monica Roberts Trans Activist of the Year Meghan Fairbanks Activist & Organizer Meghan Fairbanks is a Houston-based trans activist and founder of the social and community group Trans & GenderQueer Houston. She is a fierce advocate for trans youth, and has testified before DFPS and at the Capitol countless times. Her activism and community work are often motivated by a desire to make things easier for folks tomorrow, next year, and next century.

Awards & Honorees Glen Maxey Lifetime Achievement Carter Brown Leader & Organizer Through his lived experiences as a Black transgender man, Carter Brown was compelled to found Black Transmen, Inc. (BTMI) to advocate for the empowerment of transgender people and address the disparities faced by Black trans people. Brown’s most recent accomplishments include testifying before U.S. Congress in support of the Equality Act—an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for trans people.

Business Champion EXTRAGRAMS! Drag Performance Business Founded right here in Austin, EXTRAGRAMS! is a drag entertainment and delivery service. You can surprise your friends and family with a personalized Drag Queen telegram performance served by Austin-based drag performers and illusion divas. Extragrams! creates spaces for our community to be seen, supported and celebrated, and they played a huge part in mobilizing folks to testify against SB 12.

Gala Sponsors

Allies

TIM LAKE

Jo & Jon Ivester

Andy Smith & Paul von Wupperfeld

Lew Aldridge

Anonymous

Aimee & Ed Cunningham

Sara Konstantine Brad Nitschke & Buddy Apple

Jen Powis & Lynda Case Wesley Garrett Wilson

Chris & Susan Mack Family

Steve & Lisa Rudner Mitra & Josh Woody

Matt Smith & Jason Berkowitz

Erin Gurak & Steve Harrison Anne & John McKinnerney

Todla Hobson & Lorenz Redlefsen

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Hindatu Mohammed & Michael Siegel

Atkinson + Steve & Ted Kincaid

Elaheh Ashtari & Leslie Brush

Brad & Ashley Stuver

Suzanne Pierce

Michael A. Bullock & Patrick B. Smollen Glen Maxey

John C.B. LaRue & Hunter Middleton

Jack McBride & Thain Allen

Jan Soifer Anne Weills & Dan Siegel

Board of Directors Our board members ensure that Equality Texas stays true to our mission and values with their guidance, collaboration, and engagement.

We could not do this work without them.

Equality Texas 501(C)(4)

Equality Texas 501(C)(3)

John C. B. LaRue

Mitra Woody

Elaheh Ashtari

Brett Gray

Aimee Arrambide

Erin Gurak

Lonnie Bean

Annie Hsu

Stephanie Byers

Armando Lopez

Lydia Clay

Jack McBride

Annaliese Cothron

Brad Nitschke

Margaret Galvez

Steve Rudner

Samantha Greene

JonCarlo Serna

Angela Gutierrez

Brad Stuver

Kevin Haynes

Colton Wright

Lisa Kettyle Jack McBride Mark Phariss Danielle Skidmore Brianna Turner Jesse Vallejo Ruben Vogt Kyler Walker Ashley White

Entertainers Kameron Ross Queer Country Music Singer and America’s Got Talent Contestant Kameron Ross is an openly gay country music singer standing up for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and the importance of protecting Texas drag. He’s been a country music fan since age 8, when he saw Shania Twain perform, but his career has taken off since his appearance on America’s Got Talent in summer 2020.

Celia Light, Monica Monae Davenport, Mars, & Sierra Mykels Drag Artists and Austin Royalty Everything is bigger in Texas, so when we have drag performers they come in a pack of 4. Sierra Mykels, Monica Monae, Davenport, Marz, and Celia Light will delight and entertain with performances that you are sure to remember.

Adam Mac Queer Country Music Singer Adam Mac’s rural Kentucky roots animate his vibrant country music songwriting. He made headlines for calling out homophobia when he declined to participate in the Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Festival in his hometown.

Special Guests Chasten Buttigieg Author and LGBTQIA+ activist Chasten Buttigieg is a bestselling author, teacher, and dedicated advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. His 2020 memoir, I Have Something to Tell You, shed light on his experiences growing up closeted in a conservative home as well as his husband’s Presidential campaign.

His husband, Pete, is the current US Secretary of Transportation.

Wendy Davis Former State Senator for Texas’ 10th District Wendy Davis a former Texas State Senator, 2014 Texas Democratic Gubernatorial nominee, and the founding director of Deeds Not Words, a nonprofit that seeks to empower and activate the voices of young women in public and political discourse. She gained national attention in 2013 when she held a 13-hour filibuster in order to protect reproductive freedoms in Texas.

Chris Mosier Triathele and Advocate Chris Mosier is a competitive triathlete, duathlete, and racewalker as well as a transgender activist. In 2015, he joined the USA sprint duathlon men’s team for the 2016 World Championship, making him the first known out trans athlete on a US national team. He is also the founder of transathlete.com, a resource hub for trans-inclusive athletic programs and opportunities.

Special Guests Gus Kenworthy Olympic Silver Medalist Freestyle Skier, Actor, and YouTuber Gus Kenworthy is an openly gay world-renowned freestyle skier, actor, and media personality. He won a silver medal during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, and a year later became the first action-sports star to publicly come out. He is also known for his role as Chet Clancy on American Horror Story: 1984.

Imara Jones Journalist and founder of TransLash Media Imara Jones is an award-winning journalist, transgender activist, and founder of TransLash Media, a cross-platform journalism organization, that seeks to shift the media coverage of trans people away from hostility. Her many achievements include being named one of the 100 Most Influential People on the planet in 2023 by Time Magazine and being the first trans person to receive an award from the National Black Journalists Association.

Nadine Bridges Executive Director of One Colorado Nadine Bridges is the Executive Director of One Colorado, an advocacy organization for members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their families throughout the state of Colorado. Throughout her various roles as a social worker, educator, and activist, she has fought to create “brave spaces” that empower young people in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Show your gala ticket at Arlo’s and get a free slider!

The fun doesn’t end at 10pm!

Cheer Up Charlies!

800 Red River St Austin, TX 78701

HOST COMMITTEE Erin Gurak & Steve Harrison

Hindatu Mohammed & Mike Siegel

Jo & Jon Ivester

Brad & Ashley Stuver

Anne & John McKinnerney

Matthew Worthington &

Matt & Julie Oliver

Jessica Reyna-Worthington

To become a sponsor for our 6th Annual Gala, please email: DONATE@EQUALITYTEXAS.ORG

All event sponsorships and contributions will fund the work of Equality Texas Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and can be considered tax-deductible to the highest extent of the law. Tax EIN: 74-2569542

Equality Texas

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PO Box 2340 Austin, TX 78768

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equalitytexas.org