HRC to Honor Transgender Trailblazers Jazz Jennings and Ruby Corado at Time to THRIVE Conference

by Sarah McBride

WASHINGTON - Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, announced that it will honor transgender advocates Jazz Jennings, star of TLC’s I Am Jazz, and Ruby Corado, founder of the renowned LGBTQ center Casa Ruby, at the organization’s annual Time to THRIVE Conference. They are being recognized for their tireless efforts to advance the visibility, public understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ people and identities.

Jennings and Corado will receive Upstander Awards at HRC’s Time to THRIVE, the nation’s premier gathering for K-12 educators, professional counselors and other youth-serving professionals on LGBTQ youth safety, inclusion and well-being. This year’s conference will be held April 28-30 in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association with Toyota and AT&T as the presenting sponsors.

“Jazz Jennings and Ruby Corado have set powerful examples for LGBTQ young people across this country,” said Vincent Pompei, chair of Time to THRIVE and director of the HRC Foundation’s Youth Well-Being Project. “Jazz’s visibility has helped shatter stereotypes, open hearts, and demonstrate the power of authenticity to youth and adults alike. Ruby’s tireless commitment to empowering LGBTQ youth has literally saved lives and allowed more young people to pursue their dreams. As we join together with hundreds of youth-serving professionals at Time to THRIVE, we are privileged to welcome and honor these extraordinary advocates with our Upstander Award.”

Jazz Jennings’ activism began at age six when she appeared on 20/20 with Barbara Walters. Now 16, she is stars in TLC's GLAAD Award-winning docu-series, "I am Jazz" and is one of America’s most well-known transgender youth. She has been featured on a variety of major programs and news outlets, including two interviews with Katie Couric and Oprah. Jazz is an  HRC Youth Ambassador, a program amplifying the voices of LGBTQ youth leaders. She has been recognized by The Trevor Project, GLAAD, The Advocate, OUT Magazine, and was on the 2014 Trans 100 list. Jazz is the co-author of the book, I am Jazz, and released her memoir, "Being Jazz" in 2016. She is the co-founder of the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, which assists transgender youth. She has also been named one of TIME’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014 and 2015, and was the youngest Grand Marshal in the NYC 2016 Pride Parade.

A prominent activist and leader in Washington, D.C., Ruby Corado grew up in El Salvador, fleeing the country at the age of 16 during a civil war. She is the founder and executive director of Casa Ruby, the capital’s only bilingual, multicultural LGBTQ community center. Casa Ruby provides live-saving and -affirming services and support to many of the most vulnerable within D.C.’s LGBTQ community. As an activist in Washington, Ruby helped add gender identity and expression to the D.C. Human Rights Law and worked with local and national experts to secure regulations ensuring access to transition-related healthcare for transgender people. Ruby has been featured in Newsweek, the Washington Post and on NPR. Among her awards and recognitions, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Latino LGBT activists by Latino Voice; Activist of the Year by the African American Prism Awards; and a Capital Pride Hero.

HRC’s Time to THRIVE Conference features 72 workshops by more than 45 national and grassroots organizations dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ youth. Other special guests at the conference include Executive Producer of National Geographic's Gender Revolution Katie Couric, Senator Al Franken (D-MN), New York Times columnist Charles Blow, Miss America contestant Erin O’Flaherty, and Out of Iraq stars Nayyef Hrebid & Btoo Al Lami.

To register, visit www.TimeToThrive.org.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is education arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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