FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 2, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT:
Joan Ilacqua, Executive Director
joan.ilacqua@historyproject.org

BOSTON - The HistoryMaker Awards, a celebration in recognition of LGBTQ+ community members who make history every day, will take place on September 7, 2023, at the St. Botolph Club, Boston, MA. This annual celebration honors the lifetime commitments and ongoing contributions of Boston’s LGBTQ+ community activists.

The 2023 HistoryMaker Awards will recognize the outstanding lifetime commitment and impact of Gary Bailey. Dr. Bailey is a social work leader and educator, a longtime advocate for people living with HIV/AIDS, and an activist for Black and LGBTQ+ rights. Dr. Bailey’s unwavering dedication to social justice has left an indelible mark on the lives of numerous LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, people of color, and those affected by HIV/AIDS.

“The HistoryMaker Awards are our annual opportunity to celebrate the achievements and impact of changemakers in our community. Dr. Bailey has dedicated his life to changing and creating systems to support our community, and he’s still going strong,” said Joan Ilacqua, Executive Director of The History Project. “It's an absolute honor to recognize his invaluable work and unwavering dedication to improving the lives of others.”

In addition to the HistoryMaker Award, The History Project will also present the Lavender Rhino Award to honor the work of an activist or organization whose current impact on the local LGBTQ+ community deserves recognition. The Lavender Rhino honoree will be shared later this summer.

The History Project will celebrate the 2023 honorees with an early evening reception at the St. Botolph Club, featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, on September 7, 2023. Tickets, Host Committee, and Sponsorship opportunities are available at historyproject.org.

About the HistoryMaker Award
The History Project has presented the HistoryMaker Award since 2009 to those whose lifetime achievements have had a significant and positive effect on Boston and Massachusetts' LGBTQ+ communities. Past recipients of the award include Congressman Barney Frank, State Representative Byron Rushing, GLAD’s Civil Rights Project Director Mary Bonauto, BAGLY executive director Grace Sterling Stowell, Abe Rybeck from the Theater Offensive, journalist Susan Ryan-Vollmar, Larry Kessler of AIDS Action Committee, activist and community organizer Orlando Del Valle, Mayor Denise Simmons, Dr. Thea James, Dr. Ken Mayer, trans activist Nancy Nangeroni, GLAD founder John Ward, and lobbyist Arline Isaacson.

About the Lavender Rhino Award
Named after one of the early symbols of the Gay Liberation Movement, the Lavender Rhino Award is presented to emerging activists or organizations whose impact on the local LGBTQ community deserves recognition. Previous Lavender Rhino honorees have included Carmel Tre’Andre Valentine, the LGBT Elders of Color, activist and organizer Corey Yarbrough, musician and composer Omar Thomas, attorney Allison Wright, trans activist Chastity Bowick, prison abolition advocate Michael Cox, and K.J. Rawson, founder of the Digital Transgender Archive.

About The History Project
The History Project is Boston’s LGBTQ+ community archives. A volunteer-driven organization founded in 1980, The History Project documents, preserves, and shares the history of New England’s LGBTQ communities and with LGBTQ+ individuals, organizations, allies, and the public. Learn more about our work at www.historyproject.org.