Past Honorees
Past Honorees
Bill Eaton
1999:
Chuck Brunelle and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
2000:
Carol Speser
Jim Rolls
2001:
Babs Conant
William “Bill” Gardner
Buddies
2002:
Barbra Kavanaugh
Ross Hewitt
Buffalo United Artists
HAG Theater
2003:
Camille Hopkins
John Morgan
GLYS WNY
SHADES
2004:
Madeline Davis
Pride Buffalo
2005:
Cecile Biltekoff
Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus
HSBC Pride Network
2006:
Danny Winter
CEPA Gallery
Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo
2007:
Paul J. Michaels
Buffalo Bears
Trinity Episcopal Church
2008:
Hon. Sam Hoyt, NYS Assemblymember
Imperial Court of Buffalo
Pilgrim-St. Luke’s United Church of Christ
2009:
Lynn Tranchell
Compass House
Spectrum Transgender Group of WNY
2010:
Bruce Kogan
Temple Sinai
OUTspoken for Equality
Organizations/Businesses
Hon. Maria Whyte, Erie County Legislator
John Borsa
Andrew Randazzo
AIDs Community Services (Evergreen Foundation)
2012:
The Very Rev. Ellen Brauza
Joseph Guagliardo
AIDs Plus Fund of WNY, Inc.
Kenilworth United Church of Christ
2013:
Shari Jo Reich
United Fellowship of Christ Church
WNED-TV
2014:
Bryan Ball
Timothy Moran
PFLAG Buffalo-Niagara
2015:
Ari Moore
Good Shepherd Community of Faith
Buffalo Historical Bowling League
2016:
Michael Rizzo
Queen City Softball League
Cleeland Heights Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
2017:
Harper S. E. Bishop
Buffalo Frontrunners
Kevin Van Wagner aka Jayme Cox
2019:
Rodney Hensel
West Seneca East Gay/Straight Alliance
Black Intelligent Ladies Alliance (BILA)
Unity of Buffalo
2022:
CPH Mental Health Counseling
Rick Banner
CowPok
2023:
Kelly Craig, MPA, Executive Director, Pride Center of WNY
Ronald Piaseczny, JD, President, Niagara Pride, Inc.
Buffalo Niagara LGBTQ History Project
2024:
Chevon Davis
Vanity Vogue
Upstate New York Black and Latino Pride
James “Jimmy” Hull
Sober One Six
Special Service Citations
2014: Hon. Tim Kennedy, United States Congressmember (then NYS Senator)
2015: Hon. Sean Ryan, NYS Senator (then Assemblymember)
2016: Hon. David Rivera, City of Buffalo Niagara District Councilmember
2018: Hon. Kathy Hochul, NYS Governor (then NYS Lieutenant Governor)
2019: Hon. Pat Burke, NYS Assemblymember
2022: Hon. Monica Wallace, NYS Assemblymember
2023: Hon. Mitch Nowakowski, City of Buffalo Fillmore District Councilmember
2024: Hon. Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive; The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library