ABOVE: The LGBT+ Center in Orlando. (Photo by Jeremy Williams)
ORLANDO | The LGBT+ Center in Orlando will hold its eighth annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast & Awards virtually on July 31.
The event, which honors the legacy of Harvey Milk by awarding local LGBTQ leaders and businesses who have had a positive impact on the community, was originally going to take place May 20 with an in-person ceremony at the Sheraton North in Maitland. It was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast will air online on The Center’s Facebook page and YouTube channel starting at 10 a.m. With the ceremony being online, it will be a free event however The Center will be accepting donations during the program.
Award recipients for the eighth annual ceremony were announced in February and pre-recorded acceptance speeches which will air during the virtual event.
The award for LGBTQ ally will go to Congressman Darren Soto; the Trailblazer Orlando award will go Marco Quiroga, program director of The Contigo Fund; the Trailblazer Kissimmee will go to Jeremy Lanier, President of Downtown Business Association Kissimmee; the Champion for Equality award will go to state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani; the Harvey Milk Business Award will go to the LGBTQ nightclub SAVOY; and the Lifetime Achievement award will go to the Orlando Gay Chorus.
The annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast & Awards — along with Dining Out For Life, an annual dining advocacy and fundraising event raising money for community-based organizations serving people living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS — are The Center’s two largest annual fundraisers. Dining Out For Life, originally set for April 30, was also postponed with The Center announcing in April that the event would take place Aug. 27.
For more information on The Center’s events or to make a donation, visit TheCenterOrlando.org.
