The Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization's Independent Gay & Lesbian Caucus held their Glynn Sudberry Awards Oct. 7 at Lazo's Tacos.
Activist awards were presented to Rev. Kevin Tindell and Marixta Vidal, while the business award will go to Tracy Baim, publisher of Windy City Times. A joint political award was given to former state Rep. Tom Cross, former state Rep. Ron Sandack and state Rep. Ed Sullivan, who is returning. Sandack did not attend.
Both Cross and Sullivan spoke about being Republicans who supported marriage equality, against pressures from their political party.
A special service award was given to Rich Whitehead, who was unable to attend.
Award presenters were Deidre Baumann, co-chair of the Gay & Lesbian Caucus, and David Igasaki. Also speaking was Hilda Frontany, IVI-IPO membership chair.
Glynn Sudberry was an executive director of IPO before IVI and IPO merged in 1978. He was active in the Near North Chapter working for Dawn Netsch and other independent leaders. Sudberry decided to devote himself to his community and left traditional politics and worked in Chicago's gay and lesbian community.
The Glynn Sudberry Awards honor activists and leaders today who, like Sudberry, identify with and support the LGBT community. Sudberry died early in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. See IVIIPO.ORG .