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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Equality. This was the
theme of the 3rd Annual HRC Gala that was held at the
beautifully decorated South Seas Ballrooms at MANDALAY BAY.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights
organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender (GLBT) equality. By inspiring and engaging all
Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT
citizens and hopes to achieve a nation that realizes fundamental
fairness and equality for all. Founded in 1980 with a goal of
raising money for congressional candidates who supported
fairness, HRC now has over 750,000 members and supporters with
people of all races and backgrounds.
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Although it has been more than 40 years after the Civil
Rights Act was passed, the LGBT community still finds they are
not afforded the same Constitutional freedoms that the rest of
society enjoys. However, there I always hope and pioneers and
heros were given awards at the gala for their efforts in
promoting understanding and respect for all people. The Pioneer
Award recipient was Billy Vasidliadis and R&R Partners and the
Community Hero Award was given to Merrell Virgen and Andrew
Hosak with Virgen Advertising.
Wow! What a fabulous event this was. In addition to a
silent and live auction, the awards and delicious gourmet
dinner, attendees were treated to exciting entertainment.
Beginning with the cocktail hour and silent auction that
consisted of 97 generous items, guests dressed to the nines had
the opportunity to greet each other. Sister of Perpetual
Indulgence (see picture) mingled with the crowd.
Chris Saldana KLAS-TV anchor/reporter acted as Master of
Ceremonies for the evening. Starting with an exceptional Gospel
Group that got the crowd jumping, to an incredible performance
of Cirque Du Soleil entertainers and the piece de resistance of
the overwhelming talents of Thelma Houston, attendees were
cheering throughout the evening.
An amazing amount of money was raised for live and silent
auctions. In fact, after the auction, Curt Carlson said he would
donate $5,000 for a date with Chris Saldena, and Chris accepted.
The afterparty was at the Cathouse at the Luxor and a
performance of Hitzville at the Krave Harmon theatre. |
