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Allies And Advocates In Columbus Equality Ohio is honoring two of the local activists — Nannette Maciejunes and Luster Singleton — who are making Ohio a better place to live. By Kaylee Duff
Honored ally, Nannette Maciejunes.
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ince their beginning in 2005, Equality Ohio has served Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community in almost every way there was a need. They focus their education and activism efforts on the legal and lived inequalities that affect the experiences of Ohio’s LGBTQ+ population. From pushing for non-discrimination acts and working to end conversion therapy to hosting legal clinics and providing resources, Equality Ohio does it all, big and small. In December, the nonprofit honored two activists — Dr. Cecile Unger and Giovonni Santiago — local to northeast Ohio in an Allies & Advocates event in Cleveland. This month, they are “celebrating the people who bring legal and lived equality to life” in central Ohio at an event on Wednesday, March 27, at the Columbus Museum of Art. The Equality Ohio Allies & Advocates Columbus honorees are Nannette Maciejunes and Luster Singleton. The honored Ally, Nannette Maciejunes, has been the Executive Director of the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) since 2003, and is a beloved ally to our LGBTQ+ community. “Being an LGBTQ ally is a natural fit for art museums because so many of the creative people who are such a vital and crucial part of the arts community — artists, curators, gallery owners — are also part of the LGBTQ community,” Maciejunes said. Over the years, Nannette has received a number of awards and recognitions for her work, including the Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts in the category of Arts Administration and the South Side Settlement House Spirit of Volunteerism Award, in 2006; a YWCA Woman of Achievement recognition, in 2009; and Columbus Business First C-Suite Award Honoree, in 2015.
Visit equalityohio.org for more information Equality Ohio’s inspiring work. You can follow them online on Facebook and Twitter @equalityohio, and Instagram @equality.ohio!
24 | MARCH 2019
TRUE Q MAGAZINE
