MIAMI, FL – The National LGBTQ Task Force will honor LGBTQ+ and gun violence prevention activist X González with the Changemaker Award at the 26th Annual National LGBTQ Task Force Gala on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Organizers also announced that Sandra Valls, comic, actor, singer, writer, and all-around lesbian Latina badass, will emcee this year’s gala.
The Changemaker Award is presented each year to an individual or group that embodies the Task Force’s vision for a society where LGBTQ+ people are free to be themselves, works to remove barriers for the LGBTQ+ community and is committed to transforming society for future generations.
Said Kierra Johnson, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director:
“We are honored to recognize the extraordinary activism of X González – they have energized a generation of young people and held to account politicians and policy makers who do far too little to protect us from the epidemic of gun violence in this country. Their leadership in approaching gun violence and other issues at the intersections – as we do at the Task Force – gives their work even more meaning to me as a queer woman of color. Their determination to create change out of heartbreaking tragedy and inspire people to join the fight is the fiercest embodiment of the Changemaker award that I could imagine.”
Sandra Valls, who hosted the last two virtual National LGBTQ Task Force Creating Change conferences and will also emcee the upcoming Creating Change gathering in February 2023, had this to say: “In the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, there is strength in unity. In Buddhism we say, “Many in body, One in mind”. We all count. Vote! Votes create change.”
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we have made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. Together, we can change this.
About X Gonzalez (Gun Violence Prevention and LGBTQ+ Activist)
X González (they/them) is a gun-violence prevention activist born and raised in Parkland, Florida. A survivor of the Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School shooting, X became a leading voice in the gun-violence prevention movement with their powerful speech “We Call BS”. In 2018, they were instrumental in organizing the historic #MarchForOurLives protest in Washington D.C., the largest student-led demonstration in American history. While in high school, X also served as the President of the Gay-Straight Alliance.
X continues to be at the forefront advocating for gun violence prevention including intersectional issues such as racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights. In the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa this year, X spoke at March For Our Lives second rally in Washington D.C. Most recently, X graduated from New College of Florida with a major in activism.