2024 San Diego Equality Awards: Digital Program

EVENT PROGRAM

Schedule of Events

6:00 pm

Cocktail Reception

7:30 pm

Dinner and Awards Program Begins

8:30 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. I look forward to joining you at these celebrations around the Golden State (and in Nevada for our Silver State Equality event) throughout 2024.

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

Pride Update

Dear Friends,

It is such a privilege to have been part of Equality California’s journey over the past few years as we have continued to grow our Programs team. I am thrilled that we have been able to reach more and more people throughout our Golden State with resources that are safe, affirming, and inclusive.

As we enter Pride season, I’m thrilled to share Equality California’s 2024 Pride theme: Be Proud, Be Loud, Be Bold. We must BE PROUD of who we are, and who we love. We must BE LOUD and speak out against those who try to silence us. And with increasing attacks against our community, we must BE BOLD and gear up for the fights ahead. With your help, we can ensure that future generations continue to be their most authentic selves without fear.

This year, Equality California has plans to attend more Pride parades and festivals than ever before; nearly 30, to be exact. We’d love to have you join us at an event near you — feel free to check out our website for more details.

Thank you so much for your support throughout these 25 years. Let’s continue being Proud, Loud, and Bold as we work toward a word that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all.

Until the work is done,

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

“I am thrilled that we have been able to reach more and more people throughout our Golden State with resources that are safe, affirming, & inclusive.”

Honoring

Diversionary Theatre

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Founded in 1986, Diversionary Theatre is recognized as one of San Diego’s best theatres, and proudly showcases the most vibrant and diverse group of talent the city has to offer. They aim to foster and amplify the next generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other marginalized voices by providing the local community with live entertainment in a dynamic, inclusive, and welcoming environment that celebrates and preserves our unique culture.

Diversionary Theatre began as a forum to shed light on the important social issues affecting the quality of life of LGBTQ+ people, namely the AIDS crisis and its immediate and devastating impact on the community through the performing arts.

Over time, the constantly shifting debates over marriage equality, adoption rights, bullying, and military service caused Diversionary’s mission to grow as a way to continually amplify marginalized voices and share their stories and lived experiences through widely-accessible live entertainment.

Dolores Huerta

Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation

ALLY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Dolores Huerta is a civil rights activist and community organizer. She has worked for labor rights and social justice for over 50 years. In 1962, she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union. She served as Vice President and played a critical role in many of the union’s accomplishments for four decades. In 2002, she received the Puffin/Nation $100,000 prize for Creative Citizenship which she used to establish the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF). DHF is connecting groundbreaking community-based organizing to state and national movements to register and educate voters; advocate for education reform; bring about infrastructure improvements in low-income communities; advocate for greater equality for the LGBT community; and create strong leadership development. She has received numerous awards: among them

The Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998. In 2012 President Obama bestowed Dolores with The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Jai Rodriguez Hosted By:

New York native, and no stranger to the spotlight, Jai Rodriguez, is an entertainment icon who consistently checks all the boxes. Best known for his role as the original Fab Five ‘Culture Vulture’ in the Emmy Award-winning show “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy,” for which he won his first EMMY award.

Jai’s illustrious career began at age 18, when he was cast as ‘Angel’ in the critically acclaimed musical “RENT” – making him the youngest actor to be cast in a leading role in that show. Following his Broadway breakout role, he appeared on stage in productions of “The Producers” and “Spinning Into Butter.” He additionally created and performed the title role of ‘Zanna’ in the off-Broadway sensation “Zanna, Don’t!”. With his dynamic vocals, Jai has had the honor of sharing the stage with musical legends Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Brian McKnight, Taylor Dayne and Michelle Williams.

A regular fixture in tv and film, you can currently catch Jai on Darren Stars series “UNCOUPLED” opposite Neil Patrick Harris, which he is currently shooting season 2 which will now air on Showtime. Jai also stars in the motion picture for Universal Pictures, BROS produced by Judd Apatow and starring Billy Eichner. When he is not shooting you can catch Jai touring the US with his one man show. Follow him on social media for more info @jairodriguez

San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus Headline Performance By:

The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus connects, inspires, and challenges our chorus members by nurturing artistic and personal growth while building a musical family. By broadening cultural awareness of important social issues and the bonds that unite us all, the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus serves as a catalyst for individual and social transformation.

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. Steve Padilla

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tony Thurmond

US Senator, California Alex Padilla

Hon. Nora Vargas

Janessa Goldbeck

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA

Hon. Marni von Wilpert

Jason Anderson

Host Committee

Hon. Joe Mosca

Brenda Aguirre

Sapphire Blackwood

Josh Brock

Martín Campos

Jason Chan

Randy Clark & Tom Maddox

Kristin Housh

Shreya Key

Morten Lund

Joyce Rowland

Sheena Sahni

Darrell Tucci

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. Steve Padilla

David Ambroz

Robert Armenta

Daniel Arriola

Alberto Bautista

Beth Collins

David Cruz

Ryan Harlow-Nakano

Alberto Nodal

Amy C. Quartarolo

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

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

Laura Parra

Margaret Raven

Martha Sanchez

Herb Schultz

Dr. Priya Shah

Woody Sides

Natalie Sofer

Brandon Stansel

Erik Terreri

Stephanie Wade

Chris Wagner

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 05/1/24

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 & Lee Antoinette

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

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Southwest Airlines® is dedicated to the LGBTQ+ Community.

Our mission is to make the connections that empower communities to thrive. Through our meaningful relationships, we proudly support your efforts in the many communities we call home. Whether in the air or the ground, we believe community is more than a place – it’s at the Heart of what brings us together.

Southwest Airlines® congratulates Equality CA on 25 years of incredible impact and the honorees in San Diego!

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

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Proud Supporter of Equality California

CONGRATULATIONS EQUALITY CA HONOREES!

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Thank you to EQCA for 25 years of leadership in creating a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people.

& TOM MADDOX

RANDY CLARK

DIAMOND SPONSOR

Joyce Rowland

SILVER SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Proud Supporter of Equality California

Manpower

Proud Supporter of Equality California

SILVER SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR SILVER

TeeDeeUAS, LLC

SILVER SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

Proud Supporter of Equality California

US Bank

Proud Supporter of Equality California

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

AFSCME 3299

Amazon

Loews Coronado Bay Resort

Walmart

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Calpine Energy

Randy Clark and Tom Maddox

GOLD SPONSORS

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP

Charter Communications

GOLD SPONSORS (CONTINUED)

Irvine Co.

Seven Mile Casino

Starbucks

Joyce Rowland

SILVER SPONSORS

Allen Matkins

Campland on the Bay Falck San Diego Foley & Lardner

Manpower

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Senator Steve Padilla

Scripps Health

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

SIMNSA Health Plan

TeeDeeUAS, LLC

UDW

Union of American Physicians and Dentists

US Bank

Waste Management

Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber

BRONZE SPONSORS

The AES Corporation

Clean Energy Alliance

Cooley LLP

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest

Port of San Diego

San Diego Community College District

San Diego Community Power

Stoel Rives LLP

Sycuan Casino Resort

EQUALITY CHAMPION

SPONSORS

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA

As of 04/8/2024

Equality California Staff & Producers

Thank you!

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA STAFF

Tony Hoang, Executive Director

Sunitha Menon, Managing Director of Operations

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 An, Development Director

Valerie Ploumpis, National Policy Director

Craig Pulsipher, Legislative Director

Jorge Reyes Salinas, Communications Director

Stacy Triolo, Chief Financial Officer

Joel Gemino, Associate Program Director

Jesse Reed, Associate Director of Creative & Marketing

Melissa Stone, Associate Director of Events & Sponsorships

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

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

Cindy Lopez, Civic Engagement Associate

Nicholas Phillips, Grants AssociatePrograms

Samuel Turley, Civic Engagement Associate

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

LAS VEGAS

Thursday, September 12, 2024, 6-9 pm

KAOS at The Palms Hotel & Casino

LOS ANGELES

Saturday, October 5, 2024, 6-10 pm Fairmont Century Plaza

PALM SPRINGS

Saturday, October 26, 2024, 3-6 pm Margaritaville Resort

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.