BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR GLID'S ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER!

Please join us on Thursday, June 5th for GLID's annual Cocktail Party and Awards Dinner! We have good food, good company, and a really stellar list of honorees! Due to popular demand, we're going back to Porcao Churrascaria (360 Park Avenue South @ 26th Street). Come and eat, drink, meet our honorees, and reconnect with your fellow GLID members and what is always a wonderful mix of community leaders, elected officials, and YOU!

Cocktails are from 6:00 - 7:00pm
Dinner from 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Our Distinguished Honorees:

Florent Morellet is a Meatpacking District treasure, and his restaurant Florent is a Gansevoort landmark. Unfortunately, it looks like Florent will be closing soon, and when it dies, a little bit of the area's, and the LGBT Community's, history will go with it. Come honor a stalwart of the LGBT Community and his contributions to our neighborhood, city, community and the fight against HIV/AIDS!

Randi Weingarten has led the 160,000-member United Federation of Teachers since 1998. As such, she inherited the mantle at the head of an organization long supportive of LGBT rights. Before and during her tenure, UFT has helped to win domestic partner benefits for municipal workers in the early 1990s; negotiated antidiscrimination language in its contract; supported gay and lesbian students at the Harvey Milk High School; and, recently, backed a 2004 law that required city schools to combat bullying and harassment based on bias. Ms. Weingarten, an open lesbian, recently announced her candidacy for President of the American Federation of Teachers. Come honor one of our own who has done so much for our city, its teachers, our youth and our community, and wish her luck in her quest to lead the national union!

Tracie Gardner has more than 20 years of experience working in various capacities of AIDS policy and advocacy. As the Director of New York State Policy for the non-profit Legal Action Center (LAC), she lobbies State officials to adopt sound public policy on HIV/AIDS, criminal justice and alcohol and drug dependence and abuse. She also coordinates LAC's Women's Initiative to Stop HIV in New York State (WISH-NY) and serves as a member of the New York State AIDS Advisory Council, where she is a strong voice for people with HIV/AIDS as well as for sound prevention strategies, and especially for women of color and people in the criminal justice system.

***Tickets start at $125***

Wednesday, May 21st, 6:00 - 8:00PM
MAY GENERAL MEETING - STEVEN GOLDSTEIN AND CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT FORUM
Steven Goldstein, Chair of the highly successful New Jersey LGBT lobbying and advocacy organization Garden State Equality will be joining us at our meeting in May! We are honored that he has agreed to join us. Come and ask questions from the leader of the LGBT Community in our neighboring New Jersey! Get his perspective, his tips and advice...
Is it incredibly important that ALL ELIGIBLE VOTING MEMBERS attend this meeting, which is also our Candidate Endorsement Forum. All State Senate, State Assembly and Members of Congress are up for election in 2008. Several of our Manhattan elected officials are facing challengers this year and GLID needs to weigh in!

6:15-7:00 Steven Goldstein
7:00-8:00 Candidate Endorsement Forum
LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street

Thursday, May 22nd
"Political Action Training - A How-To Course on Grass-Roots, On-The-Ground-Campaigning."
Do the words "phonebanking" and "canvassing" scare you? Does petitioning confuse you? Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be so much better at petitioning and phonebanking than others? Want to be an effective advocate for an issue that you hold dear, but wonder how best to word that letter or make that call to an elected official? Join GLID and Assembly Member Deborah Glick for a quick course on how best to be a political actor. Whether it's supporting your favorite candidate or advocating for you mos all the types of political action that active Democrats in New York City are asked to do - from contacting elected officials and participating in demonstrations to leafleting and petitioning to canvassing and phonebanking. The next two years, 2008 and 2009, hold a number of important contests and activist Democrats will certainly be asked to help their favorite candidate. EVERYONE IS WELCOME! This night promises to be instructive and fun for both those people without a lot of experience and those who know their way around but wouldn't mind a refresher course! Details will follow shortly.

Sunday, June 29th is the date of this year's Gay Pride March down Fifth Avenue!
GLID will have its own float like always and we invite everyone to join us!
Save the Date!