The History Project to celebrate K.J. Rawson, Founder of the Digital Transgender Archive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 8, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT:
Joan Ilacqua, Executive Director
joan.ilacqua@historyproject.org
508.395.0933

BOSTON - The History Project is pleased to announce K.J. Rawson as our 2022 Lavender Rhino Award honoree. Named after one of the early symbols of the Gay Liberation movement, the Lavender Rhino Award is presented to an activist or organization whose current efforts are making history for the LGBTQ+ community. 

K.J. Rawson is the Director and Founder of the Digital Transgender Archive (DTA). The DTA, launched in 2016, virtually merges disparate transgender history archives collections, digital materials, and independent projects and makes these rich primary source materials available to researchers and LGBTQ+ community members worldwide. We recognize and celebrate K.J.’s tireless efforts to share transgender history and collections.

K.J. also serves as Chair of the editorial board of Homosaurus, an international LGBTQ+ linked data vocabulary. He is an Associate Professor of English and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Northeastern University, and Co-Director of NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks.

The 2022 HistoryMaker Awards will also honor lobbyist and advocate Arline Isaacson with the 2022 HistoryMaker Award. Arline Isaacson is a familiar figure on Beacon Hill. As Co-Chair of the Massachusetts GLBTQ Political Caucus (formerly the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus), she has lobbied every major LGBTQ+ issue in Massachusetts. 

Arline advocated for the groundbreaking 1989 gay and lesbian civil rights bill and domestic-partnership benefits for Massachusetts public employees. She also led the legislative battle for marriage equality, making Massachusetts the first state in the nation to defeat a marriage equality ban.

The History Project will celebrate the 2022 honorees with an early evening reception at the St. Botolph Club, featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, on September 8, 2022. To RSVP or join the Host Committee, visit historyproject.org