HERO Awards to Recognize Leaders In LGBT Community

West Hollywood-based LGBT youth advocacy group Stonewall Young Democrats introduced the "HERO Awards" five years ago to recognize game-changing members and allies of the LGBT community. 

This year's recipients will be honored at a cocktail reception at the LAX Hotel Sheraton on Aug. 20. 

“We’re going to gather and celebrate who we are, and really recognize some of the things that go unnoticed every day,” said Ari Ruiz, political vice president of the Stonewall Young Democrats and co-chair of the HERO Awards committee.

About 250 people are expected to attend the cocktail reception at the Sheraton, including celebrities and politicians, Ruiz said.

The HERO Awards help emphasize the goals of the Stonewall Young Democrats, both politically and socially, Ruiz said. 

“We want to make sure that LGBTs have that safety net that government has to provide for everybody, regardless of color, skin, age,” Ruiz said.

For those under age 36, tickets cost $25. For those over age 36, tickets cost $40. Several sponsorship levels also are available.

Past HERO Award recipients, which include West Hollywood City Councilman Jeffrey Prang, have come from a variety of sectors, from politics to business to entertainment, Ruiz said. 

The 2011 HERO Award recipients are:

• Candis Cayne, the first transgender actress to fill a transgender role in a television series. Cayne played the character of Carmelita in the ABC drama “Dirty Sexy Money.”

• Senator Mark Leno, California’s first openly gay state senator. Leno has represented Northern California’s 3rd District, which includes Marin and pieces of San Francisco and Sonoma counties, since 2008. He has been an advocate for marriage equality bills in the California legislature and, mostly recently, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Leno’s Fair Education Act legislation, which will incorporate LGBT history into school curriculums.

• Judge Donna Groman, supervising judge of Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center in Los Angeles and an openly gay member of the judicial system. 

• Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who represents the 44th Assembly District. Portantino, an ally, has created legislation to benefit HIV-positive patients and improve methods of diagnosing HIV. He has also served as a mentor who has worked to help members of Young Democrats who want to run for public office, Ruiz said.

This is the sixth year of the Stonewall Young Democrats as an organization. Membership currently numbers around 200, Ruiz said.