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The Creative Integrity Award is presented to a woman in the fields of arts or entertainment who through her work and personal activism has brought positive visibility to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The purpose of the award is to recognize women who have supported civil rights and humanitarian causes and contributed to the betterment of the GLBT community and the greater society.
Lee Rose is a highly regarded and prolific writer, producer and director for stage, film and television whose work has been unfailingly honest and compassionate in portraying the lives of women and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Rose began her entertainment career at age 19 as an apprentice on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. She later directed such theater productions as the American premiere of Dario Fo's Female Parts and Triplet, A Little Crisis and Agnes of God. She won a Drama League Award for directing The Triplett Collection. She was also a directing member at The Los Angeles Actors Theater and The Ensemble Studio Theater and sat on the California Arts Commission.
Rose's writing credits are numerous and include the feature Rough Trade for Island Pictures, On a Wing and a Prayer for Fox Television, and It's Nothing Personal for NBC. Rose also wrote and executive produced A Mother's Prayer, an event movie for Universal and USA Cable, for which Linda Hamilton won the Cable Ace Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Rose won the Gabriel and Chris awards and was a Humanitas Finalist for that film as well. She wrote and executive produced An Unexpected Family for the USA Network, for which Stockard Channing received an Emmy nomination, and wrote and produced the sequel, An Unexpected Life. She wrote and produced the Lifetime movie, Navigating the Heart, which aired in February 2000.
Rose wrote and directed The Truth About Jane, Lifetime's most watched movie in five years, for which she received Writers Guild and GLAAD Media award nominations. She wrote, directed and produced A Girl Thing, a four-hour mini-series for Showtime that starred Stockard Channing, Allison Janney, Elle Macpherson, Kate Capshaw and Mia Farrow to name a few. She directed What Girls Learn, starring Elizabeth Perkins and Scott Bakula for Showtime and Paramount as well. She also produced, wrote and directed An Unexpected Love starring Wendy Crewson and Leslie Hope for Lifetime.
Most recently she directed Jack, based on A.M. Homes first novel, starring Stockard Channing, Ron Silver and Wendy Crewson, to air on Showtime in June 2004. Rose is currently writing a pilot for Showtime, and will direct an independent feature based on her screenplay My Last Day On Earth in the fall.
Rose received the 2001 GLAAD Fairness Award. In addition she mentored the three filmmakers who made D.E.B.S., Give Or Take An Inch and Fly Cherry for Power Up, where she sits on the Honorary Board. She has been an active supporter of PFLAG, GLAAD and HRC for many years.
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's annual Community Role Model Award spotlights accomplishments that have greatly enhanced the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The purpose of the award is to recognize individuals or groups whose extraordinary contributions have advanced the cause of freedom and social justice, and who serve as a daily example of community empowerment and enlightened leadership.
Ilene Chaiken, an executive producer and co-creator of Showtime's highly acclaimed new drama The L Word, has worked extensively as a writer and producer in film and television.
 Showtime's The L Word has captured the attention of viewers, critics and journalists worldwide with its depiction of the day-to-day lives of a group of West Hollywood lesbian women. The show has courageously tackled the issues of sexuality, fidelity, parenting, family dynamics and the myriad demands of juggling relationships and careers, thus implicitly communicating the concept that all humans struggle with similar issues and conflicts, regardless of sexual orientation. The cast of the one-hour weekly series includes Jennifer Beals, Erin Daniels, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Mia Kirshner, Karina Lombard, Katherine Moennig, Eric Mabius and Pam Grier. In January, the show was renewed for a 13-episode second season.
Chaiken also wrote the Showtime Original Pictures Damaged Care, a drama about the managed care industry and Dirty Pictures, which won a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Movie in 2000. Chaiken's feature work includes the movie Barb Wire, starring Pamela Anderson.
Before launching her writing career, Chaiken held executive positions with Aaron Spelling Productions and Quincy Jones Productions.
Chaiken is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. A Philadelphia native, she has resided in Los Angeles for nearly 25 years. She was one of the early members of the Hollywood Women's Political Committee and testified twice before Congress in that capacity. Today, Chaiken lives in Los Angeles with her life partner of 20 years, Miggi Hood, and their two daughters. She serves on the board of directors of her daughters' school and is an active supporter of the Human Rights Campaign.
Pioneering lesbian activist Jean O'Leary has been in a leader in the gay civil rights movement since the early 1970s, creating a respected presence for gay and lesbian people in Democratic politics and serving for 15 years at the helms of two of our movement's most important national organizations.
O'Leary was responsible for organizing the first meeting of gay and lesbian leaders held at the White House, with help from Midge Costanza, then a member of President Jimmy Carter's administration. O'Leary was the first openly gay or lesbian person appointed to a Presidential Commission (Carter 's Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year and his Advisory Committee for Women).
O'Leary served as executive director of the National Gay Task Force from 1975 to 1980. During her tenure, she worked with the federal executive branch to advance gay rights in areas such as immigration and naturalization and with the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. These meetings are credited with elevating issues of gay equality to a national level in the late 1970s. She served as executive director of the National Gay Rights Advocates from 1981 to 1989.
In 1976, O'Leary was one of three openly gay or lesbian people elected as delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and since has served as a delegate at every convention except 1984. She was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1988 to 2002 and served on the DNC Executive Committee and was chair of the DNC's Gay and Lesbian Caucus from 1992 to 2002.
She is co-founder of National Coming Out Day, first celebrated on Oct. 11, 1989, with a kick-off on the nationally televised Oprah Winfrey Show.
Approximately 21 years ago, O'Leary also founded Women's Night, the first large star-studded gala fundraising event for lesbians. Early honorees included lesbian and feminist icons such as Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Bella Abzug, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, author Lillian Faderman and writer/director Donna Dietch (Desert Hearts). Melissa Etheridge performed.
In 1992 Women's Night became an event of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Since its beginnings at a time when many lesbians were still not comfortable revealing their sexual orientation, Women's Night has provided a yearly opportunity for the GLBT community to celebrate and honor the outstanding accomplishments of remarkable women.
Today, O'Leary is president of O'Leary and Associates, a political consulting firm specializing in phones and fundraising. She is an active member of the political fund-raising organization ANGLE (Access Now for Gay/Lesbian Equality). Recently diagnosed with cancer, O'Leary now faces her biggest battle, and her passion for equal rights for gay and lesbian people continues unabated.
 The Grassroots Activist award goes to a local lesbian, bisexual or transgender woman activist who has distinguished herself by making particularly significant contributions to the local GLBT community.
ELENA POPP has been a longtime activist dedicated to the GLBT community and other underserved communities. In her spare time, she helps campaign for GLBT-friendly political figures, such as Antonio Villaraigosa. Popp is a member of Lesbianas Unidas, a grassroots organization that empowers Latina lesbians, and has sat on the board of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. She is the directing attorney for the housing unit of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), a 72-year-old organization that provides comprehensive legal services to low-income residents of Los Angeles. She directs LAFLA's team of experienced poverty law advocates who provide representation and community legal education in housing, government benefits, family law, consumer rights, employment, immigration and community economic development.
 The Professional Achievement award is presented to an open lesbian, bisexual or transgender woman who has distinguished herself locally in her profession, to the advancement of the community.
SURINA KHAN is a courageous and fearless woman dedicated to breaking down homophobic barriers, even if it means risking her own life. Three years ago, she participated in the first public forum on sexuality issues organized for women in Pakistan for the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. Because Pakistan is a Muslim country and, by Islamic law, sexuality is a forbidden subject, by doing this workshop, Khan, as a Muslim and out lesbian, risked a death sentence if she had been arrested. As a lead spokesperson for Asian and Pacific Islanders for Human Right's (APIHR) Anti-Homophobia Campaign in the United States, she helped reach many Asian and Pacific Islanders who were not out and did not know there were services available to them. Khan also is former executive director of the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). She has received the Anti-Violence Project 2002 Courage Award and the Al-Fatiha Foundation for LGBT Muslims 2001 recognition.
 The Public Service award is presented to a lesbian, bisexual or transgender woman locally at some level of civil service or government who has made significant contributions to advancing the civil rights of, improving the image of, and/or serving as a role model for GLBT people within civil service/government.
ELLEN WARD has shown extraordinary leadership and incredible support to various communities in more than 30 years of service. Her uncompromising commitment to the women's community, the GLBT community and the HIV-impacted community has continuously placed her in a position where individuals look to her for leadership and solid, thoughtful decision-making. Ward worked in several key leadership positions in more than 25 years of service in city government. She served as a commissioner for the City of Signal Hill for seven years and is in her third year as a member of the Signal Hill City Council. More than 25 years ago, Ward owned and operated Que Sera Sera, one of the first lesbian bars in Long Beach, for over 22 years. In addition to being a social outlet for lesbian and bisexual women, Que provided a local venue for lesbian musicians, the most famous being Melissa Etheridge. Ward also is a former executive director of the Long Beach AIDS Walk. During her six-year tenure there, she increased funding and positioned the organization as a central force for funding HIV-organizations within the Long Beach area. On March 30, Ward was inaugurated as mayor of Signal Hill, one of the nation's few openly lesbian mayors.
 The Spirituality Award goes to an open lesbian, bisexual or transgender woman working within a faith- or spiritual-based organization or community who has made significant contributions to that community and/or improved the image of, and/or served as a role model for the GLBT community serving GLBT people.
Rev. KRISTIN HAWKINS has been an inspiring role model to many in the GLBT community with regard to spiritual and personal growth. She is the founding minister of the Namaste Science of Mind and Spirit Center in Long Beach. Namaste is affiliated with the United Church of Religious Science, which has been described as a life attitude rather than a religion. More than 100 people attend Namaste regularly, with 80 percent of the congregation self-identifying as GLBT. Hawkins has played a significant role in the spiritual lives of GLBT people for many years. She makes herself available to the entire congregation for personal support and counseling and regularly teaches classes at the church. She is repeatedly asked to mentor ministers in training, many of whom are GLBT. She is an out lesbian who has been with her partner for more than 13 years.
 The Extraordinary Volunteer award is presented to an open lesbian, bisexual or transgender woman who has performed extraordinary service as a volunteer for local GLBT and/or AIDS service organizations.
LEE WERBEL exemplifies the very essence of an extraordinary volunteer through her tireless efforts and contributions to numerous GLBT organizations and gay- and lesbian-specific theatre and arts programs in Los Angeles. She has contributed countless hours as a volunteer for gay, lesbian and bisexual political, service and community organizations, such as the Los Angeles Area Dance Alliance, Board of Directors for California Confederation of the Art, Stonewall Democratic Club and Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres, to name a few. Werbel's philosophy of life is truly based on social service and grass roots activism. She has held leadership positions at several organizations, including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and has helped raise millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention at AIDS Service Center and L.A. Shanti. She is the executive director at Congregation Kol Ami, where she oversees a reform synagogue with 400 members.
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Creative Integrity Award—Lee Rose
Community Role Model Award—Ilene Chaiken and Showtime's The L Word[TM]
Special Tribute—Pioneering Lesbian Activist, Jean O'Leary