Esteem Award Honorees 2007-2024:
5 Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
Darian Aaron; Special Recognition
About Face Theatre; Artistic Expression
Biodun Abudu; Future Leaders
The Advocate magazine “40 Under Forty”; Outstanding Magazine Reporter or Columnist/ Feature
Affinity Community Services; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
AfterElton.com; Outstanding Website
AIDS Foundation of Chicago; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
AIDS Legal Council of Chicago; Institutional Award
Gloria Allen; Outstanding Service – Transgender
B.BLYSS! Productions; Outstanding Promoter – Female
B-Boy Blues – The Play Stanley Bennett Clay, Director and James Earl Hardy, Author; Artistic Expression
Zahara Bassett; Outstanding Service – Transgender
The Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition (BRC); Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Be–All Conference; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Ken Mejia-Beal; Outstanding Service – Male
BEAM (The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective);
Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Eboné Bell; Outstanding Service – Female
Between Women; Outstanding Web Series
Bklynboihood; Outstanding Blog
Black Alphabet Film Festival; Special Recognition
BLACK Actress (Andrea Lewis creator); Outstanding Web Series
BlackGayMensBlog.com ;Outstanding Blog
Jerry Boles of Jerry Boles Photography, Artistic Expression
Aaron Bowen Schindler; Outstanding Youth – Male
Jackie Boyd; Outstanding Service – Female
Keith Boykin; Outstanding Service – Male
Myles Brady-Davis; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Lora Branch; Outstanding Service – Female
Brave Space Collective; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Russell Brewer; Outstanding Service – Male
David Bridgeforth; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Sharon Bridgeforth; Outstanding Service – Female
Kylar Broadus; Outstanding Service – Transgender
DJ Kevin Brock, Special Recognition
Adrienne Maree Brown; Outstanding Service – Female
Brown Girls creator Sam Bailey and Fatimah Asghar; Outstanding Web Series
Chris Brown; Outstanding Service – Male
Jericho Brown; Artistic Expression
Michelle E. Brown; Outstanding Service – Female
Dr. Maurice Brownlee; Outstanding Healthcare Professional
ButtaFly Soul; Spoken Word
Tristan Cabello; Outstanding Newspaper Feature Reporter The Windy City Times
Can We Talk For Real; Outstanding Podcast
ClayCane.com; Outstanding Website
Clay Cane Live, WWRL1600AM via Equality Pride Radio; Outstanding Podcast
Jasmyne Cannick; Outstanding Service – Female
Jonathan Capehart (The Washington Post); Outstanding Newspaper Reporter or Columnist
The Family of Cartell; Outstanding Youth Service/Gay Family
Mandy Carter; Outstanding Service – Female
Center on Halsted; Outstanding Social Service Org/CBO
Chicago Foundation for Women; Outstanding Service – Female
Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame; Special Recognition
Chicago History Museum for “Out at CHM”; Special Recognition
Chicago House; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Chicago Humanities; Special Recognition
The Chicago Reader (Mike Dumke and Ben Joravsky) for News & Commentary – Politics;
Outstanding Newspaper Column
Chicago Therapy Collective; Outstanding Service, CBO/Social Services
Chicago Urban League; Outstanding Service, CBO/Social Services
Derrick Clifton; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Clik Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
Cathy J. Cohen; Outstanding Service – Female
Colorlines.com; Outstanding Website
Tori Cooper; Outstanding Service – Transgender
TheCynicalOnes.com,(Michael Arceneaux); Outstanding Blog
Da Doo–Dirty Show (DJ Baker); Outstanding Podcast
Tarik Daniels; Future Leaders
Andrew Davis of the Windy City Times; Outstanding Newspaper Reporter
Herndon Davis; Outstanding Service – Male
Wade Davis; Outstanding Service – Male
St. Sukie de la Croix of Gay Chicago Magazine; Outstanding Magazine Reporter or Columnist
The Anna DeShawn Show; Outstanding Podcast
Dance for Life Chicago (Keith Elliot founder); Institutional Award
Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) Chicago; Institutional Award
Dining Out For Life – Chicago; Institutional Award
Amir Dixon; Outstanding Service – Youth
DJ Sedrick Drayton; Special Recognition
Jamal Edwards; Outstanding Service – Male
ELIXHER.com;Outstanding Website
The Ruth Ellis Center; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Isobel V. English; Outstanding Newspaper Feature Reporter
The Boston Globe
Equality Forum; Institutional Award
Equality IL; Institutional Award
Escada; Outstanding Voguing Ball/House
eta Creative Arts Foundation; Artistic Expression
Miko Evans; Special Recognition
Kenyon Farrow; Outstanding Service – Male
Feast of Fun (formerly Feast of Fools); Outstanding Podcast
For Ourselves Reworking Gender Expression (FORGE); Outstanding Service – Transgender
Jamie Frazier; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
FreeFall The TV Series; Outstanding Web series
Scott Free; Artistic Expression
Steven G. Fullwood; Outstanding Service – Male
Ka’riel Gaither; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD); Institutional Award
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Institutional Award
Gay Chicago Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
Gay Life Baltimore; Outstanding Newspaper
GMHC; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
GMAD (Gay Men of African Descent); Outstanding Social Service Org/CBO
Gay Parent Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
GayRadio.com; Outstanding Podcast
Sanford Gaylord;Special Recognition
GEMMEL & TIM (documentary filmmakers Michiel Thomas, Michael Franklin and Niq Lewis);
Special Recognition
Gerren Keith Gaynor; Outstanding Newspaper/ New Website Reporter or Columnist
GBMNews.com; Outstanding Website
Gender Odyssey; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Gerber/Hart Library; Institutional Award
Go Guide by the Chicago Free Press; Outstanding Magazine
Jewelle Gomez;Outstanding Service – Female
Erik Glenn; Outstanding Service – Male
Vernita Gray; Outstanding Service – Female
William W. Greaves, LGBT Rights Advocate; Special Recognition
Greater Than AIDS; Institutional Award
Dale Green; Outstanding Service – Male
Dr. Keith Green; Outstanding Service – Male
Dr. Maya Green; Outstanding Healthcare Professional
Logan Grimes; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Alexis Pauline Gumbs; Outstanding Service – Female
Heavy Diva Productions (Otis Mack); Outstanding Promoter – Male
Maria Hadden; Outstanding Service – Female
Trisha Lee Halloway; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Stephanie Hart; Entrepreneur; Outstanding Service – Female
Sharon Lettman-Hicks; Outstanding Service – Female
Sr. Bishop Jacquelyn Holland, Outstanding Service – Female
Karen Kendra Holmes; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Jessica Holter; Spoken Word
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters; Outstanding Blog
Coquie Hughes; Artistic Expression
Chuck Hyde; Special Recognition
iCandy Productions (Tracy Hill); Outstanding Promoter – Female
“In the Life TV”; Special Recognition
Charles Jackson of Charles Jackson/Mike Stone Productions; Outstanding Promoter – Male
Joel D. Jackson; Outstanding Service – Male
Maurice Jamal; Outstanding Service – Male
Jermikko; Artistic Expression
Dr. David Johns; Outstanding Service – Male
Craig Johnson; Outstanding Service – Male
E. Patrick Johnson; Outstanding Service – Male
Lanita Joseph; Outstanding Service – Female
Christina Kahrl; Outstanding Service – Transgender
khalid kamau, (The Honorable Mayor of South Fulton, GA); Outstanding Service – Male
Lisa Keen of Keen News Service;Outstanding Feature Reporter Newspaper
Patrick Kelly; Outstanding Service – Male
Nina Kennedy; Artistic Expression
KenLikeBarbie.com; Outstanding Blog
D’Ontace Keyes; Future Leaders
Erik Sosa–Kibby; Outstanding Magazine Feature Reporter GRAB Magazine
Antonio V. King; Outstanding Service – Male
KOKUMO, Next Generation Leader; Outstanding Services – Youth
Simone Koehlinger; Outstanding Service – Female
Rev. Deborah Lake; Outstanding Service – Female
Lambda Legal; Institutional Award
Lambda Literary Foundation; Institutional Award
June LaTrobe, Transgender Rights Activist; Outstanding Service – Transgender
LGBT Detroit; Outstanding Service, CBO/Social Services
The Legacy Project; Institutional Award
Lesbian Community Care Program (LCCP) at Howard Brown Health Center;
Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
Kenny Leon, Artistic Director of True Colors Theatre, Artistic Expression
Let’s Talk, Let’s Test Foundation; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Curtis Lipscomb; Outstanding Service – Male
Will Lockett; Special Citation – One to Watch
Loftwerk Productions (Craig Loftis); Outstanding Promoter – Male
Lorde, Rustin & Bates; Outstanding Service, CBO/Social Services
Donja R. Love; Artistic Expression
LoveBScott.com, Outstanding Website
Love Works with Juan and Gee; Outstanding Website
MadMan Productions (John Fleming); Outstanding Promoter – Female
Dr. David Malebranch; Outstanding Healthcare Professional
Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice; Institutional Award
Bishop Terry Angel Mason; Outstanding Service – Male
Tarell Alvin McCarney for The Brothers/Sisters plays; Artistic Expression
Sampson McCormick; Special Recognition
Patric McCoy; Artistic Expression
Tracee McDaniel; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Renee McGee; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Kimberley McLeod; Outstanding Magazine Feature Reporter Ebony.com
Dion Alexander McNeal; Future Leaders
Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical; Artistic Expression
Tiq Milan; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Andre Mitchell; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun– Times; Outstanding Newspaper Reporter or Columnist
MOCHA Center, Inc; Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
Jerrome Montgomery; Outstanding Service – Male
Janet Mock; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Rev. Irene Monroe; Outstanding Service – Female
Darnell L. Moore; Outstanding Service – Male
Deondre B. Moore; Future Leaders
Joy Morris; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Celena Morrison; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Kevin Morrison (Cook County Commissioner from District 15);Future Leaders
Mary F. Morten; Outstanding Service – Female
MoveOn.org Civic Action; Institutional Award
My True Colors Festival; Artistic Expression
N’DIGO (Lennox McGhee Writer); Outstanding Magazine Story
NAACP; Institutional Award
National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities (NAESM); Outstanding Social Services/CBO
National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC); Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA); Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
The National LGBTQ Task Force; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
National Minority Council on AIDS (NMAC); Outstanding Social Services/CBO
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR); Outstanding Service, CBO/Social Services
Charles E. Nelson II; Outstanding Service – Male
Fabian Nelson (Mississippi State Representative from the 66th district); Outstanding Service – Male
NewCity mag; Outstanding Magazine
The Night Ministry; Special Recognition
No H8 Campaign; Artistic Expression
Nobody’s Darling Angela Barnes and Renauda Riddle, Business Owners; Outstanding Service – Female
NoMoreDownLow.tv ; Outstanding Podcast or Web Series
Angelina Nordstrom; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Mona Noriega; Outstanding Service – Female
Renae Ogletree; Special Recognition
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries; Institutional Award
One Archives Foundation, Inc.; Institutional Award
Opus Chicago; Outstanding Newspaper or News Reporter
OTV – Open TV (Aymar Jean Christian and Elijah McKinnon); Special Recognition
Bob Yeaworth & Karl Grant of OTDL / Urbano & Smooth Productions;
Outstanding Promoter – Male
Outhiphop.com; Outstanding Website
OUTspoken!; Outstanding Spoken Word
Alicia Ozier; Outstanding Service – Female
Pam’s House Blend; Outstanding Website
Channyn Lynne Parker; Outstanding Service – Transgender:
Performers or Writers for Women on Women POWWOW;
Outstanding Promoter – Female
Dr. Wilhemenia Perry; Outstanding Service – Female
Dr. Ravi Perry; Outstanding Service – Male
Hope Pickett; Outstanding Service – Female
PINK; Outstanding Magazine
Edward Cameron Pizarro III; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Patrik–Ian Polk; Artistic Expression
Positively Aware Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
Poz Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
Dr. Eric Prichard; Outstanding Service – Male
Pride Action Tank; Institutional Award
Pride in The Pews; Institutional Award
Proactive Community Service, Outstanding Service Social Services/CBO local
Project SYNCERE; Special Recognition
Quare Square (M. Shelly Conner); Spoken Word
Rails Marketing Group (Ariq Cabbler & Bernard Johnson); Outstanding Promoter – Male
Sheryl Lee Ralph for “Sometimes I Cry: The lives, loves and losses of women
infected and affected by HIV/AIDS” Special Citation, Outstanding Service
Raysbleujuice.blogspot.com (Ray Cunningham); Outstanding Blog
Reeling The Chicago LGBTQ International Film Fest; Special Recognition Award
Real Health Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
Remimakou Media; Special Citation – Outstanding Service
Jae Rice; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Monica Roberts; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Lamont Robinson, Jr; Outstanding Service – Male
Rod 2.0 Rodonline.typepad.com; Outstanding Blog
Angel L. Brown-Ross; Outstanding Service – Female
Angelica Ross; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Kelly Ross; Artistic Expression
Imani Rupert-Gordon; Outstanding Service – Female
Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition;Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
Jane M. Saks;Outstanding Service – Female
James Saunders; Outstanding Promoters – Male
Dan Savage for “Savage Love”; Outstanding Newspaper Columnist
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Special Recognition
Alexander Sewell; Outstanding Service – Youth
Alan Sharpe; Artistic Expression
Perre L. Shelton; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Vanessa Sheridan; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Shakur Silas; Future Leaders
Mike Simmons (Illinois State Senator from the 7th district); Outstanding Service – Male
Art “Chat Daddy” Sims; Special Recognition
Anthony Singleton;Outstanding Service – Youth
The Sip; Outstanding Podcast
Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago {for Black Harvest Film Fest}
Special Recognition
Sisters in Cinema; Artistic Expression
SisterLove, Inc, Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
State of Black Gay America (SBGA) Summit; Special Recognition
Strange Fruit Musings on Politics, Pop Culture, and Black Gay Life; Outstanding Podcast
South Side Health Association’s Luck Care Center; Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
South Side Health Center; Outstanding Social Services Org/CBO
Southern Comfort Conference; Outstanding Service – Transgender
The Southern Poverty Law Center; Institutional Award
SOVO: The Southern Voice; Outstanding Newspaper
Stacey Stevenson; Outstanding Service – Female
Strong Arm Productions (Anthony Winn); Outstanding Promoter – Male
Mecca Jamilah Sullivan; Artistic Expression
SWERV Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
John Sykes; Outstanding Service – Male
Talents of Chicago, Outstanding Promoters – Male
Jackie Taylor; Artistic Expression Award
Bishop Elect Kevin E. Taylor; Outstanding Service – Male
theGrio.com (David A. Wilson); Outstanding Website
Marvin Thompson; Future Leaders
Kevin Tindell; Outstanding Service – Male
Towleroad.com (Andy Towle & Micheal Goff); Outstanding Blog
Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois; Institutional Award
Traxx Atlanta; Outstanding Promoter – Male
Traxx Girls; Outstanding Promoter – Female
The Trevor Project; Institutional Award
True Colors United; Institutional Award
The T.R.U.T.H. Project, Institutional Award
Until There’s A Cure; Special Recognition
Urban Socialites Magazine; Outstanding Magazine
The Village Voice; Outstanding Newspaper
Vital Bridges; Outstanding Social Services/CBO
Voxunion.com; Outstanding Podcast
Stephaun Elite Wallace, Ph.D.; Outstanding Healthcare Professional
Eboni Warren Watts; Outstanding Youth – Transgender
The Washington Blade; Outstanding Newspaper
Laura Washington, of the Chicago Sun– Times; Outstanding Feature Reporter Newspaper
Wassup N ATL (Mario Harris); Outstanding Promoter – Male
Tim’m West, Artist & Activist; Outstanding Service – Male
Meagan Williams; Outstanding Youth – Female
Edward Wyckoff Williams; Outstanding Newspaper or News Reporter
Z. Jae Williams; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Isaiah Wilson; Future Leaders / Outstanding Millennial Award
Windy City Queercast (Amy Matheny); Outstanding Podcast
The Windy City Times; Outstanding Newspaper
WOLFE Video; Special Recognition
Derrick Woods-Morrow; Artistic Expression
Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP); Spoken Word
avery r. young; Artistic Expression
Zami NOBLA National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging; Outstanding Service, CBO/Social Services
Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler; Outstanding Service – Transgender
Sharon Zurek for Dykes Delicious Film Series; Artistic Expression