25th Anniversary Los Angeles Equality Awards Digital Program by Equality California

EVENT PROGRAM

Seated Dinner & Awards Presentation

October 5, 2024 | Fairmont Century Plaza

Schedule of Events

6:00 pm

Cocktail Reception

7:15 pm

Dinner and Awards Program Begins

9:00 pm

Dessert and Reception

Welcome

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I can hardly believe the words as I write them, but they’re the truth: This year, Equality California celebrates 25 years of fighting for a world that is safe, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. What’s more, it fills me with great pride to say that since 2009, I’ve been part of our organization’s journey to becoming the largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the nation.

When Equality California was founded, we had no idea that in just a few short years, we would be at the epicenter of one of our time’s great civil rights movements — the fight for marriage equality. While we took on that battle — and eventually won at the highest court in the land — we also continued to build our political and people power, passing the strongest civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people in the country. With every year that passed, we continued to evolve, taking on all kinds of issues that impact our community, from immigration to gun violence prevention, protecting transgender youth to reducing health and economic disparities, and so much in between.

“While we have much to look back on & acknowledge fondly, we know the most important fights are those still to come.”

While we have much to look back on and acknowledge fondly, we know the most important fights are those still to come. Even with all we’ve achieved over the last quarter century, we’re seeing a disturbing escalation in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, and far-right extremists attempting to roll back our rights at the local level, in state legislatures, in Congress, and in the courts. Rest assured, we’ve got our eye on the challenges ahead; and though they will be myriad, I am confident we will rise to meet them, especially with your support.

This 25th anniversary year is a special one, so we will certainly take the time to reflect, and to honor the legacy we’ve created. The Equality Awards give us an incredible opportunity to recognize the work of community leaders, policymakers, and public figures advocating for the rights our community has fought to earn over generations, while at the same time continuing to raise critical funds for the work ahead..

Here’s to 25 years of remarkable strides, and to continuing the work for full, lived equality for all.

Thank you for being part of our journey for equality.

Until the work is done,

Tony Hoang, He/Him/His Executive Director

Program Update: Safe & Supportive Schools

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate Equality California’s 25th year, I find myself reflecting in particular on what we have accomplished in recent years. One milestone of which I am particularly proud is the upcoming publication of the third Safe and Supportive Schools Report card.

The report card grew out of a vision to make school district policies more transparent, garner insight into the challenges that districts face in creating safe school climates for LGBTQ+ students, and provide concrete tools for LGBTQ+ parents and students advocating to improve the daily experiences of LGBTQ+ students in classrooms and playgrounds across the state.

Since its initial launch, the project has become a critical tool for parent groups, queer student organizations, and teachers’ unions to push back against anti-LGBTQ+ school boards, create plans for working with collaborative administrators, and build awareness about student and teachers’ rights on campus.

“We are dedicated to fostering inclusive and affirming learning environments for all students, especially LGBTQ+ youth.”

This year, alongside the report card’s newest iteration, we are thrilled to announce a newly expanded resource center for educators and rainbow families. The Safe and Supportive Schools Resource Center is a cornerstone of our dedication to fostering inclusive and affirming learning environments for all students, especially LGBTQ+ youth. It serves as a central hub for our Safe and Supportive Schools Report Card, educator resources, and our efforts in combating forced outing and other policies that make schools less safe for LGBTQ+ and all students.

I hope you will take time to visit the resource center at schools.eqca.org, and that you will consider supporting our continued work in this area through your generosity at the LA Equality Awards tonight. You are our partners in the work, and we thank you for your commitment to our organization.

Until the work is done,

Erin Arendse, She/Her, They/Them Program Director

Honoring

Julian Breece EQUALITY VISIBILITY AWARD

Julian Breece is an award-winning writerdirector whose work crosses film and TV. Notably, Breece co-wrote the screenplay for the Netflix film Rustin about gay Civil Rights strategist Bayard Rustin and the 1963 March on Washington. He co-wrote the Emmynominated Netflix series When They See Us and recently penned the screenplay for Fox Searchlight’s forthcoming Alvin Ailey biopic, which will be helmed by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins. Breece is a consulting producer on Lee Daniel’s Sammy Davis Jr. limited series at Hulu, and he’s served as a writer and producer on such critically acclaimed series as Amazon’s Harlem and Hulu’s The First.

Honoring

Greg Sarris COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Greg Sarris is serving his sixteenth consecutive elected term as Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. In addition to serving as Chairman of his Tribe, he serves as President of the Tribe’s Economic Development Board, overseeing all of the Tribe’s business interests, including the Graton Resort and Casino. He is Chair to the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Co-Chair of Smithsonian Campaign, and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was appointed by Governor Newsom in June 2023 to the University of California Board of Regents. Formerly a full professor of English at UCLA, and then the Fletcher Jones Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Loyola Marymount University, Greg now holds the title of Distinguished Emeritus Graton Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University. Sarris received his Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University, where he was awarded the Walter Gore Award for excellence in teaching. He has written several books, including Grand Avenue, an awardwinning collection of short stories, which he adapted for an HBO miniseries and co-executive produced with Robert Redford. He is executive producer of I Am A Noise, a Joan Baez documentary film. His latest book, The Forgetters, was published in April 2024.

Sen. Alex Padilla Keynote Speaker:

Sasha Colby Hosted

DJ Kim Anh

Fatima Reynolds

Kataluna Enriquez

Gia Banks

Kelly K. Doll

Judas

Shanelle

Host Committee

Hon. Betsy Butler

Hon. John Heilman

Hon. Scott Houston

Hon. Gabriel Quinto

Hon. Carolyn Wysinger

David Ambroz

Rami Bachour

Jerry Bloom

Steven Brancato

Diandra Bremond, Ph.D.

Sue Burnside

Cecilia Cabello

Jason Chan

Beth Collins

Roberta Conroy

David Cruz

Cary Davidson & Andrew Ogilvie

Patrick Driscoll

Trevan Fischer

Sandra Fluke

Katherine Forster

James Frost

Sam Garrett

Mark Gonzalez

Ryan Harlow-Nakano

Laurie Hasencamp

Drexel D. Heard II

Matthew Kaiser

Tanner Kelly

Adam Ma

John Marciano

Susan McCabe

Sunitha Menon

C. Scott Miller

Mark Morales

Drew Murphy

John Musella

Alfredo Pedroza

Liliana Perez

Amy C. Quartarolo

Jirair Ratevosian

Joyce Rowland

Yale Scott

Julia Staudinger

David Vela

Jane Wishon

Rabbi Barbara Zacky As of 09/3/24

25th Anniversary & Event Co-Chairs

25 TH ANNIVERSARY STATEWIDE CO-CHAIRS

EVENT CO-CHAIRS

California State Controller Malia Cohen

California Senate Pro Tempore Emerita

Toni Atkins

Hon. Rick Chavez Zbur

Hon. Blanca Pacheco

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tony Thurmond

US Senator, California Alex Padilla

Hon. Lena Gonzalez

Juan Camacho

Scott Malzahn

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA

Sue Dunlap

Equality California Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE

Scott Malzahn, President

Cecilia Cabello, Vice President

Drew Murphy, Secretary

Jason Anderson, Treasurer

Jason Chan, Governance Chair

Jane Natoli, PAC Chair

Joe Gregorich, At- Large Member

Hon. Leslie Katz, At-Large Member

Hon. Alex Randolph, At-Large Member

Hon. Bevan Dufty

Hon. Gabriel Quinto

Brenda Lorena Aguirre

Rachel Anderson

Aaron Avery

Carl Baker

Jerry Bloom

Tracey Broadman

Sue Burnside

Francisco Castillo

Jason Daniels

Sue Dunlap

Shirin Etessam

Janessa Goldbeck

Alicia Isaacs-Lee

Mandy Isaacs-Lee

Thomas Li

Adam Ma

Kate Maeder

John Marciano

Alfredo Pedroza

Liliana Perez

Jeff Riles

Yale Scott

Kasey Suffredini

Nancy Sutley

David J. Tsai

Darrell L. Tucci

Shawnda Westly

Equality California Institute Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Juan Camacho, President

Jeff Freitas, Vice President

Rabbi Barbara Zacky, Secretary

Laurie Hasencamp, Treasurer

Katherine Forster, Governance Chair

Mark Gonzalez, At-Large Member

Hon. Lena Gonzalez

Hon. Dallas Harris

Hon. Rafael Mandelman

Hon. Lisa Middleton

Hon. Stephanie Nguyen

Hon. Steve Padilla

David Ambroz

Robert Armenta

Daniel Arriola

Alberto Bautista

Beth Collins

David Cruz

Ryan Harlow-Nakano

Alberto Nodal

Amy C. Quartarolo

Jirair Ratevosian

Amy Schneider

Laura Zagar

Board of Advisors

Susan McCabe, Co-Chair

Richard Poppen, Co-Chair

Hon. Betsy Butler

Hon. Nora Vargas

Hon. Ahmad Zahra

Daniel Allender

Holly Amaya

Eric Andresen

Eric Armstrong

Rami Bachour

Sapphire Blackwood

Nicholas Bloom

Dr. Diandra Bremond

Daniel Brownstone

Trevor Chandler

Tina Choi

Victor Christy

Randy Clark

Roberta Conroy

Ivan Dominguez

Patrick Driscoll

Emily Dysart

Trevan Fisher

Sandra Fluke

James Frost

Drexel Heard II

Dylan Jacobs

Conor Johnston

Matthew Kaiser

Shreya Key

Billie Lee

Luis Alejandro Liang

Tom Maddox

Jason McCoy

Dharia McGrew

Jesse Melgar

Mark Morales

John Musella

Will Nguyen

Christopher Panizzon

Laura Parra

Margaret Raven

Martha Sanchez

Herb Schultz

Dr. Priya Shah

Woody Sides

Natalie Sofer

Brandon Stansel

Erik Terreri

Stephanie Wade

Chris Wagner

of 09/03/24

Executive Director’s Council & Board President Emeritus

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COUNCIL

Hon. Ricardo Lara

Hon. Betty Yee

Dolores Huerta

Stuart Milk

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA BOARD PRESIDENT EMERITUS

Cary Davidson

Clarissa Filgioun

Andreas Meyer

Joyce Rowland

Luminaries Council

Hon. José Cisneros

Hon. Joe Dunn

Hon. Geoffrey Kors

Hon. James G. Williamson

Hon. Betty Yee

Diane Abbitt

William E. Adams

Lana Barnett

Dave Baron

Xavier Barrera

Marc Blakeman

Daniel R. Brownstone

Bob Burke

Betsy V. Butler

Pat A. Callahan

Mike Cavalluzzi

Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas

Randall Clark

Michael Colbruno

Josephine C. Cole

Paul A. Curtis

Jim A. DeLaHunt

William F. Delvac

Michael Dunn

John J. Duran

Lara E. Embry PhD

Ellen Evans

Carrie Farrell

Chris Frahm

Mariah T. Hanson

Laurette A. Healey

Rabbi Steven Jacobs

Deanna Johnston

Moez Kaba

Deb Kinney

Kirk P. Kleinschmidt

Ellen LaPointe

Sam Leslie

Lloyd E. Levine

Kathy Levinson

Eve Lubalin

Tom Maddox

Dennis H. Mangers

Marty Martinez

Steve W. Mele

Dr. Martin Mendelson

Phil Mercado

Nicole Murray-Ramirez

Bao Nguyen

Ron Oden

Lester Olmstead-Rose

Nico Opper

Jeff A. Orr

Scott R. Palermo

Philippe Phaneuf

Margret Raven

Rick Rivas

Dave Roberts

Donna Sachet

Richard S. Shaffran

Katherine Spillar

Jessica Stebbins Bina

Erik Terreri

Alan Uphold

Hillary Whittington

Greg Williamborg As of 09/03/24

Leadership Circle & Capitol Club Members

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

NATIONAL TRAILBLAZER

Rabbi Barbara Zacky

STATE INNOVATOR

Roberta Conroy

Frederick Noble

Tom Steyer & Kat Taylor

REGIONAL INFLUENCERS

Rosemary & Peter Casey

Seth Jacobson

Rich Poppen & Eric Lao

Laurie Hasencamp & Mike Lurey

Joyce Rowland

LOCAL LEADERS

Susan McCabe

David Benz

Tom Buttgenbach

Cecilia Cabello

Ruthann Chou

Glen Dake

Scott Malzahn & Caesar Herrera

Lori Stanford & Jennifer Hill

Travis Jackson

Herb Schultz & Stuart Leviton

Randy Clark & Tom Maddox

Jacqueline Thomas & DeeAnn McCoy

Andreas Meyer

John Monahan

Danielle Morris

Cary Davidson & Andrew Ogilvie

Dean Pitchford

Dr. Trevan Fischer & Lance Radford

Mark Stuart & Tim Rupe

Laura Zagar

CAPITOL CLUB ADVOCATES

Hon. Alex Randolph

Kevin Tilden & Dr. Philip Diamond

Kathy Levinson & Naomi Fine

Tyler Gregory

Donald Grether

Christopher Heritage

Michaeljohn Horne

Edward Hoffman & Andrew Karas

Mark Morales

Stephen Nathan

Jane Natoli

Beth Schroeder

Darrell Tucci

sempra.com

Southwest Airlines® is dedicated to the LGBTQ community.

At Southwest®, we take pride in our outreach and commitment to the LGBTQ community. We have community partnerships with a variety of local and national organizations who are dedicated to LGBTQ causes and initiatives. Southwest Airlines® congratulates Equality CA on 25 years of incredible impact and the honorees in Los Angeles!

TOGETHER, WE HAVE THE POWER TO KEEP THE FUTURE

We are proud to sponsor Equality California’s 2024 Equality Awards

CONGRATULATIONS TO TONIGHT’S HONOREES.

Proud Supporter of Equality California

CONGRATULATIONS EQUALITY CA HONOREES!

Proud Supporter of Equality California

C E L E B R A T I N G A N D

S U P P O R T I N G L G B T Q + C I V I L R I G H T S

PROUD SPONSOR OF

ABOUT FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA

Graton Rancheria is a federally recognized Indian tribe comprising Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. Legislation restoring federal recognition to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria was signed into law in December 2000 Tribal lands are located in Rohnert Park, Sonoma County, Calif.

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Equity and Justice

The Port of Long Beach values diversity, inclusivity and sustainability as we work with businesses large and small. We are proud to support the 2024 Los Angeles Equality Awards.

Proud Supporter of Equality California

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Proud Supporter of Equality California

a quarter of a century, ality California has led the in making California a onal leader in the fight to tect the lives and the rights of LGBTQ+ community. Against darkness of hate, EQCA shone ht. We’re a better state ause of you. ngratulations, and thank you all you do.

Los Angeles Equality Awards 2024

Proud Supporter of Equality California

CHEERS T O 25 YEARS EQUALITY CALIFORNIA YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE THE REAL M A GIC

Proud Supporter of Equality California

East West Bank has worked to build stronger communities for over 50 years. We’re proud to support organizations like Equality California that share our commitment to helping our neighbors grow and thrive. Working together, we can all reach further.

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Thank you to Equality California for your inspirational work in our communities! Congratulations to Julian Breece and Greg Sarris for your well-deserved recognition.

Proud Supporter of Equality California

SILVER SPONSOR

Molina Healthcare is proud to support Equality California, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We congratulate the Los Angeles honorees.

MolinaHealthcare.com

SILVER SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR SILVER

SILVER SPONSOR

Event Sponsors

LEADERSHIP SPONSORS

AT&T

Sempra Energy

Southwest,

Official Airline Sponsor

STATEWIDE SPONSORS

Comcast

Edison International

Kaiser Permanente

Reed & Davidson

Sutter Health

Uber, Official Rideshare Partner

United Airlines

25 TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTING SPONSOR

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath

AFSCME 3299

Amazon CFT

Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria

Event Sponsors

GOLD SPONSORS

Supervisor Janice Hahn

Accenture

BG Law LLP

Charter Communications

Coca Cola Company

Cruise LLC

David Geffen Foundation

East West Bank

Everytown for Gun Safety

FOX

Greenberg Traurig

Drew Murphy

National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW)

Perkins Coie

Starbucks

Walt Disney Company

Waymaker LLP

Rabbi Barbara Zacky

SILVER SPONSORS

Los Angeles County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger

Councilmember John Heilman

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, District 2

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District

California Democratic Party Vice Chair, Betty Yee

Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County

Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht

California Dental Association

Rick Caruso

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Cooley LLP

California Teachers Association

Fanduel

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

HCR Wealth Advisors

SILVER SPONSORS CONT.

hims & hers

J & Z Strategies

LA Dodgers

Los Angeles Community College District

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

LA Yellow Cab

Molina Healthcare

O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Orange Barrel Media/ Ike Smart City

Paramount

The Promotions Department

Verizon

EQUALITY CHAMPION SPONSORS

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA

Asm. Rick Chavez Zbur

EQUALITY DEFENDER SPONSORS

California Attorney General Rob Bonta

Asm. Jesse Gabriel

Equality California Staff & Producers

Thank you!

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA STAFF

Tony Hoang, Executive Director

Tom Temprano, Managing Director of External Affairs

Erin Arendse, Programs Director

Theresa Carlisle, Director of Human Resources and Administration

Shay Franco-Clausen, Political Director

Sarah T. Morrow Chwe, Development Director

Valerie Ploumpis, National Policy Director

Craig Pulsipher, Legislative Director

Jorge Reyes Salinas, Communications Director

Stacy Triolo, Chief Financial Officer

Victor “Veejay” Atilano, Associate Program Director

Joel Gemino, Associate Program Director

Jesse Reed, Associate Director of Creative & Marketing

Melissa Stone, Associate Director of Events & Sponsorships

Rick-Arlo Yah Lira, Associate Director of Donor Relations

Wendy Anguiano, Program Manager

Aldo Macias Arellano, Executive Manager and Board Liaison

Beatriz Baez, Program Manager

Michelle Castillo, Administration Manager

Jorge Diaz, Program Manager

Eric Hernandez Barraza, Program Manager

Alexandria Hughes, Grants Manager

Jasmine Pantoja-Vila, Communications Manager

Shane M. Stahl, Communications Manager

Bianca Sy, Events Manager

Samuel Turley, Public & Civic Engagement Manager

Arie Abija, Events Associate

Andrew Giang, Senior Program Associate

Julz Goff, Senior Program Associate

Alexandra Grissell Gomez, Senior Program Associate

Kae Hodge, Senior Program Associate

Abby Lawlor, Senior Program Associate

Nicholas Phillips, Grants Associate - Programs

Adrielle Welch-Brooks, Senior Associate of Database Operations

Paton Moody, Legal Fellow

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT PRODUCERS AT:

Equality Awards Venue & Hotel Partners

2024 Equality Awards Schedule

PALM SPRINGS

Saturday, October 26, 2024, 3-6 pm

Riviera Resort & Spa

OUR 2025 EQUALITY AWARDS*

Sacramento Equality Awards: Early Spring 2025

San Francisco Equality Awards: Spring 2025

San Diego Equality Awards: Friday, May 30, 2025 6-10pm @ Loews Coronado Bay Resort

Silver State Equality Awards: Fall 2025

Los Angeles Equality Awards: Fall 2025

Palm Springs Equality Awards: Fall 2025

*The full series of 2025 Equality Awards will be announced later this year. If you are interested in getting involved with the 2025 Equality Awards Host Committees please contact events@eqca.org.

Equality California’s Membership Programs

Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We are California’s only LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working at all levels of government. For 25 years, our mission has been to defend and improve the rights, health, and political representation of LGBTQ+ people in California & across the nation.

Fulfilling this mission would not be possible without the leadership and support we receive from our members. By becoming a member, you can directly impact the lives of countless individuals by fueling our fight for equality.

Equality California offers three core membership programs: our Leadership Circle, Capitol Club, and our planned giving program, the Equality Society. All three of these programs provide foundational support and enable our work from the classroom to congress. Benefits of these membership programs can include:

ɖ Recognition on materials including on our website and Annual Report

ɖ Special members discounts at events across the state including our Equality Awards

ɖ Insider updates via private quarterly Town Halls and newsletters

ɖ Invitations to private events with EQCA leadership and legislators

To learn more about our membership programs, or to join today, please visit www.eqca.org/membership/ or email donorrelations@eqca.org.