Actress, model, and activist Dominique Jackson will receive the 2023 National Leadership Award, an honor awarded yearly to an advocate who has helped further the Task Force’s mission to advance freedom, justice, and full equality for all LGBTQ people.
Jackson is best known for her lead role as Electrabel Abundance Evangelista Wintour, aka Elektra, in the hit show Pose on FX and is being recognized for shining a spotlight on the real issues trans people of color faced during the 1980s and ‘90s, when Pose was set, and the issues the community continues to face today. Jackson has been vocal about her difficulties as a trans woman and the discrimination faced in Tobago before venturing to New York in pursuit of a more fruitful life. Her autobiography, The Transsexual From Tobago, shines a light on these issues and details Jackson’s pursuit to build a better life in the U.S. She now speaks out regularly on issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
“We are thrilled that Dominique Jackson will be joining us during a momentous milestone year for the National LGBTQ Task Force. Black women have always been the backbone of culture and community, and this tradition lives on in Ms. Jackson’s unrelenting advocacy for increased representation of transgender people in Hollywood and her persistence in elevating issues that uniquely and often disproportionately impact trans people, particularly transgender people of color. Hers is a voice for our time, and we are honored to recognize Dominique as a co-conspirator in our work towards liberation for the LGBTQ+ community and our families.”
The Task Force previously announced that the 2023 Eddy McIntyre Community Service Award would be presented to Constance Collins at the Gala. Collins is the Founder and Executive Director of Lotus House, a homeless shelter and service provider to women and children in Miami, as well as the President and Executive Director of the National Women’s Shelter Network, which aims to advance resources for women and children experiencing homelessness nationwide.
In this milestone 50th anniversary year, the Gala’s theme, Forever Strong, Unapologetically Queer, speaks to the organization’s determination in uplifting the LGBTQ+ community and creating spaces for queer people to be their full, authentic selves. The Task Force has been advocating for equality for half a century and continues to create change for the LGBTQ community both on a national level and specifically in Florida, where the community faces a barrage of anti-LGBTQ laws and pending legislation. With the onslaught of recent anti-LGBTQ laws, the Task Force is steadfast in their decision to remain rooted in Florida and continually works with local advocates and leaders to create a safer, more inclusive environment for the queer community.
The National LGBTQ Task Force Events Director, Michael Bath, said: “It is crucial that we let our community know that we stand with them wherever they live and that we are committed to ensuring that even the highest obstacles to equality are confronted and toppled. It is my hope that the Task Force, working in conjunction with state and local partners in Florida, will be able to effect real change in the state, making it a safe place for all LGBTQ people and their families to live.”
The funds raised by this year’s Gala will fuel the organization’s work to advance the rights and security of LGBTQ people across the country, including the Task Force’s “Queer the Vote” campaign, which seeks to get progressive minded voters to the polls in 2024. A significant portion of the proceeds will be donated to the South Florida community through the LGBTQ+ Equity Fund. To date, the National LGBTQ Task Force has donated over $3.3 million to more than 80 organizations in South Florida.
The National LGBTQ Task Force would like to thank its event sponsors including its presenting sponsor, St. John’s on the Lake United Methodist Church. Truist Wealth is the Gala’s Champion sponsor and Defender sponsors include Akerman, Bradley Carlson & Troy Du Toit, Huizenga Family Foundation, Our Fund Foundation – James G. Pepper Fund, Liebe & Seth Gadinsky, Roger Thompson and Jim Tyrell, Ryde, and the Miami Foundation for a Greater Miami. Protector sponsors include LBDO, Bilzin Sumberg, Florida Blue Cross Blue Shield, Royal Caribbean Group, and Starboard.
October 14, 2023 | Miami Beach Convention Center
Tickets Are Available for the National LGBTQ Task Force 50th Anniversary Gala!
CONTACT:
Cathy Renna, Communications Director, National LGBTQ Task Force, 917-757-6123, [email protected]
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. Those barriers must go.