Commemorative Awards

JONES RIVERA WONG

CLEVE JONES GILBERT BAKER PRIDE FOUNDER’S AWARD

Cleve Jones joined the gay liberation movement in the early 1970s. He was mentored by Harvey Milk and worked in Milk’s City Hall office as a student intern until Milk’s assassination in 1978. Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in 1983 and founded The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987. He was the historical consultant for Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-winning film, Milk (2008). Jones led the 2009 National March for Equality in Washington, DC and served on the Advisory Board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights. His memoir, When We Rise inspired the ABC TV mini-series. Jones works as an organizer for the hospitality workers’ union, UNITE HERE.

GABBY RIVERA JOSÉ JULIO SARRIA HISTORY MAKER’S AWARD

Gabby Rivera is a Bronx-born, queer Puerto Rican author on a mission to create the wildest, funniest stories ever. Gabby is the first Latina to write for Marvel Comics, penning the series America. Gabby's debut novel, Juliet Takes a Breath, was called “f*cking outstanding” by Roxane Gay, and was republished by Penguin Random House. Gabby is the creator of the original comic series b.b. free with BOOM! Studios and the podcast gabby rivera’s joy revolution is coming in 2020! Gabby speaks about being a queer Puerto Rican from the Bronx, an LGBTQ advocate, and prioritizing joy in QTPOC communities.

MIKE WONG AUDREY JOSEPH LGBT ENTERTAINMENT AWARD

Michael J. Wong is the first Artistic Director of the Marching & Pep Bands for the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. A third generation San Franciscan, Mike joined the Band in 1998 while he was a teenager studying physics and music at the University of California, Berkeley. He has literally grown up in the Band taking on the roles of Horn Section Manager, Music Librarian, Drum Major, and volunteer Marching Director and Assistant Conductor, before being appointed to the position of Artistic Director of the Marching & Pep Bands in 2016.