PHOTOS: LGBT+ Center Orlando hosts 14th annual Diversity Awards

Miss Center Orlando Altesse Aurum performs at the Diversity Awards. (Photo by Bellanee Plaza)

ORLANDO | Hundreds of people gathered in a rainbow-lit room at the Sheraton Orlando North Hotel May 29 for the LGBT+ Center Orlando‘s 14th annual Diversity Awards.

The ceremony celebrated local trailblazers, champions and changemakers. This year, Amelia Burgos from Equality Florida was recognized with the Emerging Leader Award, Jeff Hayward from Heart of Florida United Way was recognized with the LGBT Ally Award and Furality and Ginger Minj, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” All Stars Season 10, were recognized as a Trailblazer.

Brandon Martin sang the National Anthem to open the ceremony. Martin is a multi-genre vocalist, composer/arranger, conductor and music educator. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer attended and welcomed the audience and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings could not attend but sent a video message. Miss Center Orlando Altress Aurum performed an opening number wearing her reigning crown.

Burgos serves as the Orlando Development Officer for Equality Florida and her mission is to foster empathy through visibility.

“This award reflects all of that more than it reflects just me and I’m really grateful for every single person who’s been part of that,” Burgos shared with the audience. “I don’t really see myself as a leader in the traditional sense. I just show up, do the work, care deeply about the people around me, and try to keep learning as I go.”

Moderne in Mills was recognized with the Small Business Award and Orlando Fringe was recognized as a Champion of Equality.

Tempestt Halstead, Artistic Director of the Orlando Fringe, said this year, more than 50% of the audience and more than 70% of the artists participating in the festival identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“We’ve had artists tell us Fringe was the first place they ever felt safe enough to be able to tell their story out about,” Halstead said. “Arts have always been one of the first places where people imagine a more compassionate world, where queer voices, disabled voices, Black voices, immigrant voices and experimental voices… That is what equity looks like to us, not perfection, not performative statements, but the ongoing commitment to make room for people who historically been told there was no room for them.”

Toward the end of the ceremony, attendees were asked to consider making a donation through Give Butter. With a goal of $14,000, The Center raised $14,736 in the day. Some donations came from Brittani Acuff, A Walk For Change and Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet.

The last person to be recognized was Nancy Rosado with the LGBT+ Lifetime Achievement award. Rosado is a Pulse Memorial committee member, a retired NYPD sergeant and a Clinical Social Worker. In the aftermath of the mass shooting at Pulse, Rosado, a retired NYPD sergeant and social worker, provided services for survivors and victims’ families.

Rosado would hold group therapies with the mothers of the victims as she worked with UCF Restores. The sessions included a Hispanic therapist and were held in a church. She says the support groups were meaningful as it helped the mothers move through their grief.

“I’m really grateful for this honor,” Rosado said. “You’ve all quietly supported me over the years in mental health, to the LGBTQ community, to the Hispanic community. Those are my two communities and this is what I’ve worked the hardest at.”

Watermark Out News was on hand to help celebrate. View our photos below.

Photos by Bellanee Plaza and Kay Yingling.