The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) on
Tuesday announced that it will honor transgender advocates Jazz
Jennings and Ruby Corado at its annual Time to THRIVE Conference.
At the 3-day LGBT conference, Jennings,
the star of TLC's reality series I Am Jazz, and Corado,
founder of the LGBT center Casa Ruby, will receive HRC's Upstander
Award.
“Jazz Jennings and Ruby Corado have
set powerful examples for LGBTQ young people across this country,”
said Vincent Pompei, chair of Time to THRIVE and director of the HRC
Foundation’s Youth Well-Being Project. “Jazz’s visibility has
helped shatter stereotypes, open hearts, and demonstrate the power of
authenticity to youth and adults alike. Ruby’s tireless commitment
to empowering LGBTQ youth has literally saved lives and allowed more
young people to pursue their dreams. As we join together with
hundreds of youth-serving professionals at Time to THRIVE, we are
privileged to welcome and honor these extraordinary advocates with
our Upstander Award.”
Now 16, Jennings first came out
publicly at the age of six in a 20/20 interview with Barbara
Walters.
Corado, who fled El Salvador's civil
war at the age of 16, is the founder of Casa Ruby, the capital's only
bilingual LGBT community center.
Other guests at the conference, which
opens Friday in Washington, D.C., include Senator Al Franken and
journalist Katie Couric.