Community readies for ACON’s Honour Awards
The Honour Awards, acknowledging outstanding achievements in the NSW LGBTIQ community, will celebrate its 13th year this Wednesday, 2 October.
Inspired by achievements, stories and heroes within the community, the Honour Awards also serve as a gala fundraiser for healthcare organisation ACON, which provides programs and services to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the LGBTIQ community.
Starting with red carpet arrivals at 6 pm at the Ivy Ballroom and followed by the awards ceremony from 7:30 pm, the event will be hosted by Sydney drag queen Candy Box and NITV Presenter Matty Webb, and will also feature performances from DJ Kate Monroe, Eric Avery and Graham Davis King.
This year’s awards ceremony finalists include Sydney queer comedy figure Alexander Lamarque for the ‘Young Achiever Award’; Star Observer contributor, trans advocate and diversity consultant Katherine Wolfgramme for ‘Community Hero’; and high-profile Australian journalist Peter FitzSimons for the ‘Media Award’.
Lamarque—who is known for his work with Cleo and the Kweens, the monthly Kweens of Comedy show and as the host of the Dungeons & Drag Queens podcast—told the Star he’s proud to be recognised in his fight for inclusivity, especially when sharing a laugh or two along the way.
“It’s such a privilege to be nominated. I’m extremely passionate about providing spaces for all people to feel welcomed and to have a laugh,” he said.
“As someone who’s spent their entire childhood never feeling welcomed to the table, to receive a nomination for providing those crucial spaces for others means the absolute world to me.”
The Honour Awards, established in 2007, provide the NSW LGBTIQ community with the opportunity to celebrate achievements, recognise excellence and honour the impact that community members have made in the past year.
The cocktail evening also raises money for ACON to “create a healthier and safer community for all”, as well as funds that go back into the community through initiatives to support the health and wellbeing of sexuality and gender diverse people.
Wolfgramme, the official ambassador of The Gender Centre, is renowned for her work in advocating for the health and wellbeing of trans and gender diverse (TGD) people, as well as greater inclusion of TGD communities in Australia and the Pacific.
Wolfgramme was also awarded ‘Inspirational Role Model of the Year’ at the 2019 Australian LGBTI Awards in March, where she acknowledged the trans community as an inspiration to herself, and as a pillar of the queer community.
“Look, the truth is that all of you in the room are creators of change,” she said.
“So, I share this award with all of you in this room. You know, it’s not me on my own. It took a community to come to this point.”
The Honour Awards 2019 have sold out. On its website, ACON thanked its principal partner Dowson Turco Lawyers; presenting partners SBS, people2people and Glyde Health; and a range of community and event partners.