Community celebrates heroes at awards gala

Ceremony recognizes those who work to make queer community better


Heroes of all kinds were recognized Oct 12 at Capital Xtra’s Community Achievement Awards. From political activists to entertainers of the year, the 2007 Heroes Awards honoured those who have worked to improve the city’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community.

Hosted by Capital Xtra’s Gareth Kirkby, Kerry Beckett and Marcus McCann, the gala began with a retelling of the community’s response to HIV/AIDS. Throughout the first half of the evening, Lifetime Achievement Awards were given out to two dozen community heroes (see below for the full list of Lifetime Achievement Award winners).

During the second half of the evening, awards were given out to heroes of 2007. This year, Capital Xtra and Xtra.ca received a record number of nominations from the community. Click here to see bios of all 2007 Hero Award nominees. The results are:

  • Entertainer of the Year: The Habit
    Runners-up: Mackenzie MacBride, Glenn Nuotio
  • Achievement in Sports & Athletics: Robert Meagher
  • Achievement in the Arts: Toto Too Founders
    Runners-up: Ladyfest, Venus Envy
  • AIDS Activists of the Year: Adam Graham and Nicholas Little
    Runner-up: Corey Wong
  • Youth Activist of the Year: Jade Pichette
    Runners-up: Alex Kennedy, Michael Wiseman
  • Political Activist of the Year: Shannon Blatt
    Runners-up: Nathan Hauch, Kaj Hasselriis
  • Editor’s Choice Award: Miss Jenn of Breathless
  • Community Activists of the Year: Ricky Barnes and Glenn Crawford
    Runners-up: Brad Thomas, Ariel Troster

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

  • Barry Deeprose
  • Mike Hutton
  • Raymond LeBlanc
  • Carol Richer
  • Timothy Andradé
  • André Lachance
  • Jean-Louis Bouchard
  • George Parry
  • Philip MacAdam
  • Gilles Melanson
  • Philip Hannan
  • Ben Murray
  • Don Kilby
  • Grant McNeil
  • David Hoe
  • Michael Graydon
  • Bruce Bursey
  • Kevin Muise
  • Rob MacDonald
  • Christiane Bouchard
  • Rick Dias
  • Emily Troy
  • Holly Wagg
  • Julia Alarie

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