SAAF’s Out Brunch honors a special volunteer, a lifetime leader in the community, a public servant, and an outstanding ally with the Steve Hall, Godat, Richard Elías, and the Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally awards, respectively. SAAF invites the community to nominate members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community prior to March 8, 2023 when the nomination period closes.
The Out Brunch Community Awards were a mainstay of the annual Wingspan Gala dinner, and SAAF has continued this tradition through Out Brunch. Each of the awards honors a specific facet of the amazing work being done in southern Arizona:
· The Steve Hall Award is given to an individual who makes outstanding volunteer contributions to further the mission of promoting freedom, equality, safety and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people in Southern Arizona.
· The Godat Award was inaugurated in 1998 to recognize extraordinary long-term contributions by an individual to Southern Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.
· The Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally Award honors a straight ally who has made significant contributions to advance the freedom, equality, safety, and well-being of LGBTQ+ people in southern Arizona.
· The Richard Elías Public Servant Award is presented to public or government servants who have made significant or extraordinary contributions to the equality, equity, health and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community of Tucson and Arizona.
Out Brunch 2021 honored: Lizette Trujillo (Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally), Liane Wong (Godat), Mike Steinberg and Alan Taylor (Steve Hall), and Richard Elías (Richard Elías Public Servant).
Out Brunch 2022 honored: Dr. Kay Bauman (Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally), Scott Blades (Godat), Southern Arizona Senior Pride (Steve Hall), Karin Ulich (Richard Elías Public Servant).
So much work and love goes into advancing and supporting the work of the LGBTQ+ community in Southern Arizona. The everyday heroes in our community do not undertake the work for the fame or the glory. Rather, they fight on, keeping their focus on the betterment of the entire LGBTQ+ community. Far too often, their praises go unsung, but their work benefits so many.
In its day, Wingspan bestowed three community members with awards to honor their work in, and on behalf of, the LGBTQ+ community in Southern Arizona. While times have transitioned and Wingspan is no longer around, the work of excellent community members and leaders continues.
The Out Brunch returns to the legacy of honoring local leaders in the LGBTQ+ community with the Steve Hall, Godat, Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally, and the Richard Elías Public Servant awards. Picking up where these awards were last given, the Out Brunch honors a special volunteer, a lifetime leader in the community, and an outstanding ally.
Steve Hall Award
The Steve Hall Award is given to an individual who makes outstanding volunteer contributions to further the mission of promoting freedom, equality, safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ people in Southern Arizona. Honoring the dedication and consistent commitment of the volunteer’s life to the LGBTQ+ community, the Steve Hall Award honors the past work and promotes the future volunteer endeavors of the recipient. The award is named after Steve Hall, a pioneering volunteer who served the LGBTQ+ community with tireless dedication Mr. Hall died in 2001.
Godat Award
The Godat Award was inaugurated in 1998 to recognize extraordinary long-term contributions by an individual to southern Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community. Recipients of this prestigious award have shown keen leadership in the LGBTQ+ community and advocated throughout their careers for the advancement of the whole community. Ken Godat, after whom the award is named, was the first recipient. Since its inception, the Godat Award has celebrated the personal commitment and public advocacy of southern Arizona’s LGBTQ+ leaders.
Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally Award
In 2001, an award was created to honor a straight ally who has made significant contributions to advance the freedom, equality, safety, and well-being of LGBTQ+ people in southern Arizona. Knowing that the work of so many in the LGBTQ+ community is aided and furthered by our straight allies, The Jean Baker Community Ally Award shines a light on the faithful and indefatigable efforts of an ally working with southern Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.
Richard Elías Public Servant Award
Inaugurated in 2021, the Richard Elías Public Servant Award will be presented to public or government servants who have made significant or extraordinary contributions to the equality, equity, health, and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community of Tucson and Arizona. This award is named after Representative Richard Elías for his long time support to both the LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS community, and other marginalized groups.
The Steve Hall Award
Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce
The LGBT Chamber of Commerce (AKA the Gaymber) approaches advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community through an economic lens. They believe Inclusive Business is Good Business, and because they know the LGBTQIA+ community is a vital part of America as business owners, employers, employees, and consumers, they work tirelessly to support Tucson’s local LGBTQIA+ and allied business community. The Gaymber has provided an inclusive space for Tucson’s queer and TGNC professionals to network and build their businesses while simultaneously educating allies since the mid-90’s, though it’s only in the last few years that they’ve found their stride with a special mix of large and small group networking – with the right amount of structure – to foster the organic and diverse relationships that the Tucson business community is truly based on.
The Godat Award
Natalie Perry
Natalie arrived in Tucson in the late seventies and within a couple years, was actively involved in the Tucson gay community, as a member of the Tucson Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee (TLGPC). She participated in fundraising for the Himmel Park Gay Pride Picnics helping organize softball games, Fiesta de Mayo and Gay Pride Week functions.
TLGPC was also the force working to obtain the anti-discrimination proclamations from the city and county and providing liaisons with the police depts. Natalie sat on the Education, Political and Health sub-committees working to make these things happen, as well as, helping organize protests when Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell decided to target Tucson because we had an anti-discrimination ordinance.
The early eighties saw the beginning of the AIDS crisis. Natalie sat on the Health sub-committee of TLGPC from which Tucson AIDS Project, the 1st AIDS service organization in Tucson, evolved. Natalie was a founding member of TAP and helped organize the 1st AIDS Forum held at Universalist United Methodist Church, as well as, introducing some of the early AIDS patients to each other, each of whom, thought they were alone.
In 1986, under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Griffin and the Shanti Project of San Francisco, Natalie and Michael founded The Shanti Foundation of Tucson, and facilitated training for over 1,000 peer counselors to advocate for and emotionally support, people living with and dying from AIDS.
Natalie personally knew and attended to many of the first 300 people who died of AIDS in Tucson. She helped fight for anonymous HIV testing at PCHD and the State and fought for funding for prevention and education, marching on Washtington in the late eighties.
Natalie fought daily, for many years, to help save lives in the Tucson gay community.
Natalie continues to serve the LGBTQ+ community today, as a founding member of Tucson Queerstory. The mission of TQS is to collect, archive, preserve, exhibit and celebrate the diverse queer history of Tucson.
Dr. Jean Baker Community Ally Award
Tom Litwicki
Tom has served in the human services field since 1990, with the last fifteen years of service to persons experiencing homelessness in Tucson. Tom has a master’s degree in Counseling and Human Relations from Northern Arizona University and is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor. He currently serves as CEO for Old Pueblo Community Services, a not-for-profit community agency that provides evidence-based housing and support services to persons experiencing homelessness. Tom resides in Vail Arizona with his partner, Darcie, and is father to two wonderful adult children.
Richard Elías Public Servant Award
Andrés Cano
Andrés Cano is the Democratic Leader in the Arizona House of Representatives. He is a consensus-builder, a pragmatist, and a lifelong public servant.
Raised by a single mom, Andrés, 30, saw a path for advancement in Arizona’s public schools. He is a first-generation college graduate and a native Tucsonan.
Prior to elected office, Andrés served as a senior aide to Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías from 2012 to 2018. In this role, Andrés prioritized juvenile justice reform, public health, and neighborhood relations.
His extensive community engagement has been recognized by the Center for the Future of Arizona (2016, Emerging Leader,) the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2017, 40 Under 40,) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (2020, Young Alumnus Award.) Andrés is a Gates Millennium Scholar, an inaugural member of the Human Rights Campaign’s HIV360 Fellowship, and a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State & Local Government program.
In his non-legislative role, Andrés is the Director of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund, a philanthropic initiative of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
Nominations are now closed. The awards will be given at Out Brunch on April 8, 2023.
Title Sponsor
Are you interested in supporting Out Brunch by sponsoring or purchasing an ad to be included in our program? Take a look at the available sponsorship opportunities below.
You can also contact our Associate Director of Development, Fred Rodriguez at: frodriguez@saaf.org | 520-547-6107
We love hearing from you, so don’t be shy! Give us a call or email (or even a snail-mail letter!)
Development Department 375 S Euclid Ave, Tucson, 85719 (520) 628-7223
Fred Rodriguez, Associate Director of Development frodriguez@saaf.org 520-547-6107
Looking to volunteer at Springs’ hottest pride event? Come out to brunch and help the team out!
If you are interested in volunteering opportunities, you can contact SAAF’s Development and Volunteer Coordinator, Zoë Bradley, at zbradley@saaf.org or (520) 547-6119. Thank you.
