SF Pride Community Grand Marshal & Pink Brick Vote

Online Ballot 2013

Vote for up to THREE nominees in the Individual Grand Marshal category.
Vote for up to ONE nominee in the Organizational and Pink Brick categories.

Thank you for participating. Voting ended on April 15, 2013. Results will be announced soon.

Individual Community Grand Marshal

(A local leader, vote for up to three)

Mario Benton
Mario Benton, East Bay community activist, fashion show producer, runway icon and stylist Mario Benton, created Mario B. Productions as a youth development model to help transform young lives. Over the years, Mario B. has brought young aspiring models together with the world of stylists, photographers, models and designers to produce high-end fashion shows throughout the Bay Area, for Macy’s, Bill Blass NY Fall Collection, Fashion on the Square, to his very own 2010 Chic Fashion Week.
Solange Darwish
Solange Darwish, Born in Cairo, Egypt, Darwish realized her passion was food at 15 years old. In 1988, she proudly became part of the Castro community when she married Maurice Darwish, whose family had owned the Norse Cove since 1971 (present day Cove on Castro).
Veronika Fimbres
Veronika Fimbres, An award-winning activist recognized for her many firsts, Fimbres came to San Francisco in 1996 and became the first transgender officer in the history of the City and County of San Francisco a year later. She has served as Commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs for 14 years and was the first and only transgender woman to work at San Quentin Prison, as a “safety nurse.” Serving on the Ryan White Care Council, the 26-year HIV/AIDS survivor had $80,000 allocated for the first educational symposium to train providers to work with trans patients.
Jason Galisatus
Jason Galisatus, Galisatus is the Executive Director of the Bay Area Youth Summit and serves as a member of an array of boards to promote activism and political advocacy. Galisatus is a music lover and a former member of the Stanford Fleet Street Singers and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Michelle Kim
Michelle Kim, At University of California, Berkeley, Korea-born Kim co-founded a Queer Straight Alliance with a focus on youth leadership development for low-income queer youth statewide. She now serves on a host of committees to lend her voice on policy, culture and academic issues impacting the queer community at Cal and beyond.
Nikolas Lemos
Dr. Nikolas P. Lemos, Lemos is a tireless ambassador of science, fairness and justice for all San Franciscans assisting in his official capacity and working on raising awareness on LGBT issues with the police, the medical examiner, immigration authorities, the district attorney, the city attorney and the public defender.
Amos Lim
Amos Lim, Lim emigrated from Singapore to the United States in 1999 to be with his husband, Mickey, who was encountering numerous setbacks. The struggle to stay in America, and have his marriage recognized, led Amos to activism, first co-founding Out4Immigration and then becoming a proponent of marriage equality.
Bobbi Lopez
Bobbi Lopez, Mexican immigrant and a U.S. citizen, Lopez is a spirited social justice activist who advocates daily for the rights of the LGBT community, youth and families in the Tenderloin and Mission at La Raza Centro Legal, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, and SEIU 1021.
Marlena, As we all know Gary McClain, aka Marlena of Marlena's Bar is soon (in a matter of days) transferring ownershMarlenaip, and will no longer be giving so much back to the San Francisco Bay Area LGBT communities. Marlena of Marlena's Bar has given many opportunities to many non-profit 501(c)3 organizations a place to hold functions, raise much needed funds to better our communities. Upon the notice that Marlena's would be closing I promised Marlena that I would do all I could to get her into the parade as a Community Grand Marshal.
Paul Olsen
Paul Olsen, Olsen has supported thousands of volunteers in raising funds and awareness for the HIV/AIDS and the LGBT communities. As former Executive Direction of Under One Roof and board member of San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, San Francisco Pool Association and his neighborhood association, he helped those groups raise more than $4 million.
Randall Schiller
Randall Schiller, A native San Franciscan and an original member of Beach Blanket Babylon, Schiller has been serving the needs of the LGBT Community for the past 40 years as owner of Randall Schiller Productions – an esoteric sound, lighting and video production company. He is an avid supporter and activist who got involved with benefits to raise money to help fight Anita Bryant, The Briggs Initiative and “No on 6” Campaign, to name a few.
William Walker
William Walker, A native San Franciscan, youth organizer African-American queer man, Walker helped to spearhead numerous organizations and initiatives to support the livelihoods of youth and their civic engagement. He also co-produced the first annual Pacifica Radio Pride broadcast: A celebration of the LGBT Community heard nationally that is now in its fifth year.

Local Organizational Grand Marshal

(Nine counties of the Bay Area, vote for one)

Bay Area Youth Summit
Bay Area Youth Summit, BAYS is an organization that seeks to empower LGBT and allied youth to decide to make the difference in their communities by taking a leading role in the fight against bullying. BAYS is the only completely youth-led LGBT organization in the world.
Black Coalition on AIDS
Black Coalition on AIDS, BCA has been a pioneer since 1986 in providing health education, advocacy and services to San Francisco's Black community and is dedicated to reducing health disparities in the Black community, particularly the spread of HIV/AIDS
Horizons Foundation
Horizons Foundation, Horizons Foundation fuels the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement by increasing support for diverse San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits that help thousands of people each day. Its work strengthens organizations and their
leaders, mobilizes donors and funders to inspire giving and actively secures the LGBT community's future for generations to come.
Positive Resource Center
Positive Resource Center, For more than 25 years, PRC has been responding to our community’s income and healthcare needs by providing services that address the current needs of clients disabled by HIV/AIDS or mental health conditions.

Pink Brick Award

(someone who has caused harm to the LGBT community, vote for one. )

Pope Francisc
Pope Francis, Pope Francis, a conservative, is anti-gay marriage and anti-gay adoption, who describes same-sex marriage as the work of the devil and a “destructive attack on God’s plan.” He also believes gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children.
Rebecca Kandaga
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Uganda Parliament Speaker vowed to pass the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill – often called the "Kill the Gays bill" in the media – seeks to make acts of homosexuality punishable by death or life imprisonment. She says it will become law since most Ugandans "are demanding it".
Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America, Justice and equality delayed! …..On January 28, 2013, the BSA said it is considering whether to remove its ban on gay leaders and members. On February 6, the 70 member executive Board announced that it needed more time for a deliberate review of its policy banning gays and have delayed their final decision until the much larger National Annual Meeting in May 2013

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