New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. with honorees and co-sponsors at his 2006 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Pride celebration at The Center in Manhattan on Thursday, June 15, 2006. Pictured ( l to r) are:  Walter B. Schubert, Jr., First Openly Gay Member, New York Stock Exchange, Co-Founder & CEO, SGI, LLC , and  Founder, Gay Financial Network; Andrés Duque, Latino Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender  Community Advocate; Carrie Davis, Gender Identity Project Coordinator,  The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center;  Daniel Hendrick,  Editor-in-Chief, Queens Chronicle;  Thompson;  Anthony Rapp, Outer Critics Circle and Obie Award-winning Actor and Drama Desk Award Nominee; Dr. Marjorie Hill, Interim Executive Director, Gay Men’s Health Crisis; and, Gordon J. Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Safe Horizon.
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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. honored six New Yorkers at his 2006 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Celebration on Thursday, June 15. The event was co-hosted by the Empire State Pride Agenda and Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

“At this time in our nation’s history, when the rights of gay Americans are under attack on so many fronts, we do well to remember that this is a community of great strength, a community that has always invented its own power to meet the demands of the day,” Thompson said in addressing the crowd at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan.

“We need to keep pushing to add New York to the roster of states where gay and lesbian couples have the right to marry with full legal recognition. I join you in eagerly awaiting the ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals on this issue. The right of gay men and lesbians to marry reflects the longstanding commitment of our state to fairness and equality and you have my unqualified support on this. On the federal level, we need to beat back the shameful constitutional amendment proposed and pushed by the Bush administration.”

Thompson noted that the honorees are artists and entertainers, journalists, business people, educators, community activists, who have excelled in their fields and are role models.

The first honoree was community and civic leader Gordon J. Campbell, who is chief executive officer of Safe Horizon, a victim assistance organization. Mr. Campbell also has served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services, the chief of staff to New York City’s First Deputy Mayor, deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations, and director of the Human Resources Administration’s Division of AIDS Services -- an office that he created, organized, and staffed. 

“Gordon Campbell has made tremendous contributions to the life of our city, state, and nation, and has helped the LGBT community in countless ways,” Thompson said.

The next honoree, Ca rrie Davis, is a social worker and the coordinator of the Gender Identity Project at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Ms. Davis focuses on counseling and groups for trans-identified youth and adults, trans-partners and those who are gender-different or gender-questioning. She also is a presenter and educator, offering trainings and workshops to social service and health care providers, schools, government agencies and private corporations on the needs of the trans-communities.

“Carrie Davis has worked tirelessly to give voice to, and protect the rights of, a community that has been traditionally under-recognized and under-served,” Thompson said.

The next honoree, Andrés Duque, is a long-time advocate for gay rights. Mr. Duque is director of Mano a Mano, a program of the Latino Commission on AIDS, which has provided funding to more than a dozen local grassroots Latino LGBT organizations. He is a founding member of the Audre Lorde Project, the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association, and the Out People of Color Political Action Club. 

Thompson recognized Andrés Duque for “his commitment to social justice and his dedication to helping community organizations succeed.”

J ournalist Daniel Hendrick was the next honoree. Mr. Hendrick is editor-in-chief of the Queens Chronicle, a weekly newspaper in Queens. Previously, he served as assistant managing editor for the paper, and also worked as assistant news editor at Greenwich Time in Greenwich, Connecticut. A former Navy cryptologist and Russian interpreter, he was discharged from the military for being gay. He is involved in LGBT veterans’ causes, and is a founding member of American Veterans for Equal Rights- New York, a group that seeks to ensure that military veterans receive all the benefits to which they are entitled and to end the military’s ban on openly gay servicemen and women. 

“Daniel Hendrick has demonstrated outstanding dedication to improving the quality of life in our city. In recognition of his accomplishments and in gratitude for his service to this country, it is my pleasure to present this award to Daniel Hendrick,” Thompson said.

The next honoree was actor and singer Anthony Rapp. Mr. Rapp is best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award-wining rock opera, Rent. He won a shared OBIE Award with the rest of the cast for the production, and reprised the role in the film version of Rent. He also wrote and published Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent.

His Broadway credits include the recent revival of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation. Mr. Rapp made his Broadway debut in Precious Sons, for which he received an Outer Critics Circle award and a Drama Desk nomination.

“Anthony Rapp has delighted and moved audiences with his stirring portrayals on stage and screen,” Thompson said.

The final honoree was business leader Walter B. Schubert, Jr. Mr. Schubert is a co-founder, and the chief executive officer of the company SGI.  He was the first openly gay member of the New York Stock Exchange, and founded the Gay Financial Network, an internet financial services portal. 

Mr. Schubert is also one of the founding board members of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and is the author of a popular weekly Stock Market letter “From The Floor.”

“Walter Schubert, Jr. has risen to great heights in his field, and has been a leader and a role model to many,” Thompson said.

Karla Schickele, who is a longtime member of the indie rock band Ida, performed at the event. Bishop Zachary Jones of Unity Fellowship Church in Brooklyn, offered the Benediction.

To receive photographs, please contact Marla Maritzer at (212) 669-2597 or at mmaritz@comptroller.nyc.gov.