Twin Cities Pride

Twin Cities Pride has announced the winners of the 2011 Twin Cities Pride Awards. Awards recognize individuals and organizations within the Twin Cities area that have made a positive impact on the GLBT community. Four awards are given each year including the Grand Marshal Award, Everyday Hero Award, Corporate Achievement Award, and Community Pride Award..

Awards will be presented to this year’s recipients at the 2011 Twin Cities Pride Grand Marshal Reception to be held on Friday, June 10, 2011 from 5:30 PM-8:30 PM at The Art Institutes International Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis. Twin Cities Pride would like to congratulate this year’s recipients and thank them for their tireless contributions.

Grand Marshal Award

Dr. Anne E. Phibbs
Director, GLBTA Programs Office, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Dr. Anne Phibbs, winner of the 2011 Grand Marshal Award, has played an integral role in advancing acceptance and equality to campuses across Minnesota. She has opened minds and doors through her dedicated work on campus and in our community.

Phibbs has served as the Director of the GLBTA Programs Office at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for the past six years. In addition, Dr. Phibbs served as the Director of GLBT Student Services at Metropolitan State University for eleven years.

In 2006, Phibbs founded the MN GLBTA Campus Alliance, a statewide coalition of student, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members focused on creating change on college and university campuses. Since its inception, the Campus Alliance has conducted over 100 educational presentations and trainings at over 25 campuses across the state of Minnesota. In 2007, Phibbs worked with the Campus Alliance to host the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender College Conference also known as Alphabet Soup.

Continuing her commitment to our community, in 2006, Phibbs created the University of Minnesota Transgender Commission, a coalition of people from across the University and greater community working to create change and equality for people of all gender identities and expressions at the U of M. In 2007, the U of M was the host for the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender College Conference also known as Alphabet Soup, which had over 1500 attendees.

Phibbs has served in many roles included as the co-chair of the Beyond the Boxes: Emerging Trends in LGBTQ Mental Health Conference, as part of the host committee of the Creating Change conference, and at the 12th annual White Privilege Conference. She currently serves on the boards for the MN GLBTA Campus Alliance board and the Tretter Collection at the University of Minnesota. She is also the past GLBT Commission chair of the Minnesota College Personnel Association where she won the first ever Voice of Inclusion award for her work in bringing about a greater knowledge of GLBT issues to higher education administration. Phibbs is one of only seven recognized GLBT professionals in higher education in Minnesota by the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals and has been honored with the PFund Power of One Award for her commitment improving the lives of LGBT people.

Everyday Hero Award

Lou Hoffman
GLBT Community Activist

Lou Hoffman, winner of the 2011 Everyday Hero Award, has been active in the GLBT community for over 30 years. Lou started out in the early 1980’s as a member of the Bisexual Connection and later went on to serve as chair for several years. As part of the Bisexual Connection, Hoffman acted as a spokesperson for the inclusion of bi and transgender people. During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Hoffman worked as a volunteer for the Twin Cities Pride Festival.

In 1992, Lou Hoffman founded the BECAUSE Conference, a regional event educating people about and advocating for bisexuality. She has either chaired or volunteered in some way for every BECAUSE conference since its inception.

Hoffman served as co-chair for the BiNet USA national meetings and was the BiNet Midwest representative for a number of years. She has been a spokesperson for bi issues for Out For Good and was a member of Bi Women and Friends.

Currently, Hoffman is active in the Bisexual Organizing Project, serving as Treasurer and Board member.

Corporate Achievement Award

General Mills

General Mills, winner of the 2011 Corporate Achievement Award, is committed to creating an inclusive culture, where all team members can bring their true selves to work and have an equal opportunity to succeed. Diversity is a core value for General Mills. They are a true champion and glowing example of the kind of corporate involvement and engagement that is incredibly important to our community.

Betty’s Family, the LGBT employee diversity network at General Mills, holds a roster of hundreds of members at its headquarters, including dozens of allies. They work together to foster an inclusive culture for General Mills LGBT colleagues and engaging the LGBT community.

General Mills offers same-sex partner benefits through pension, healthcare insurance, auto/homeowner’s insurance, partner leave (in the event of a birth or adoption), and life insurance. For those employees who receive company cars, same-sex partners are granted access for personal use. Company facilities such as onsite medical center, gym, and company store are also open to same-sex partners. General Mills also provides health insurance that covers counseling for employees considering gender reassignment.

General Mills has been consistently listed as one of Fortune Magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For,” and received a 100% mark on the HRC Corporate Equality Index. This recognition speaks to the corporation’s ongoing efforts to battle discrimination and promote inclusion in the workplace and in our communities.

In 2010, Betty’s Family hosted its first-annual Pride Reception with Quorum, an LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The event was fully encouraged and attended by General Mills executives. At least 47 different organizations, from corporate titans to non-profit groups, attended the event, with close to 300 in attendance. The purpose of the event was to facilitate networking between LGBT professionals and decision-makers throughout the Twin Cities and to engage on topics that matter to our community. The event was wildly successful and has become an annual event..

General Mills has major plans for their next fiscal year and has become a major voice in addressing the Marriage Amendment. Of important note, General Mills—not just the LGBT network—is addressing this concern. Betty’s Family and General Mills is working with Project 515 and peer companies on addressing this issue.

General Mills is a non-cyclical consumer packaged goods company headquartered in Golden Valley, MN. General Mills is the third-largest food company in America and employs more than 16,000 people in the U.S. Thier brands are staples around the kitchen table: Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Totino’s, Green Giant, and Big G cereals to name a few. General Mills serves a cross section of households that includes every ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. They employ diversity because they serve it.

Community Pride Award

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota, winner of the 2011 Community Pride Award, promotes legal equality for every Minnesota citizen regardless of biological gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or social gender role. We believe that equality can best be achieved through the conservative ideals of a smaller constitutional government that protects the unalienable rights of individuals.

Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota is a chapter of the National Log Cabin organization which was founded in 1977. It was formed to help rally support from Republicans who opposed the Briggs amendment in California, a ballot initiative that was intended to ban gays and lesbians from teaching in California’s public schools. Through the efforts of the Log Cabin Republicans and other advocacy groups the Briggs Initiative was defeated.

In 2004, the Log Cabin Republican organization filed a lawsuit against the 1993 Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law which had been signed by President Clinton. The Log Cabin lawsuit is the only active legal opposition to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. It is the only lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the statute. In October, 2010, the act was declared unconstitutional in a federal court.

Rather than being forced by the courts to end the policy, a bipartisan Congress passed the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal Act on December 22nd, 2010. Both members of Congress and President Obama have stated on record that had it not been for the Log Cabin Republican’s lawsuit the bill to repeal it would not have been passed.