The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Foundation this week announced that it will honor actress and LGBT
advocate Josie Totah at its sixth annual Time to THRIVE Conference.
HRC will present Totah, 17, with its
Upstander Award during its February 15-17 conference in Anaheim,
California.
Totah, who starred in the NBC sitcom
Champions, came out transgender in a power essay last year.
(Related: Actor
Josie Totah comes out as transgender.)
“By living her truth as a trans
woman, Josie is setting an inspiring example for trans and
gender-expansive young people everywhere that they can live and
thrive as their true selves,” said Vincent Pompei, director of
HRC's Time to THRIVE conference. “We are so proud to call this
amazing young actor part of our HRC family, and know that her
powerful message will galvanize the youth-serving professionals at
Time to THRIVE to go back to their communities with a renewed
commitment to help create affirming, supportive spaces for LGBTQ
young people.”
HRC previously announced that it would
also be honoring television personality Earvin “EJ” Johnson,
Olympian Adam Rippon, Judy and Dennis Shepard, the parents of Matthew
Shepard, and Brian Coleman, the American School Counselor
Association's 2019 “School Counselor of the Year,” at its annual
conference.
(Related: Adam
Rippon, E.J. Johnson to be honored for their LGBT advocacy.)