Honorees
2011 Youth Advocacy Award
Hon. Donna Q. Groman
JUDGE DONNA QUIGLEY GROMAN has been a judicial officer since 1997.She is presently the Supervising Judge of Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center, a juvenile delinquency court in South Los Angeles.Prior assignments include criminal and juvenile dependency.
Judge Groman was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended New York City Public Schools.She was a member of varsity basketball and softball teams both in high school and college.Judge Groman graduated with a B.A. in Economics from SUNY Stony Brook in 1976, and with a J.D. from the American University, Washington College of Law in 1979.Judge Groman was admitted to the California State Bar in 1980 and practiced juvenile and family law both on the trial and appellate level.
Judge Groman has served on the faculty for the California Center for Judicial Education and Research, teaching delinquency and dependency law, and also computer software for judges.She is a member of the Women Lawyers of Los Angeles, California Women Lawyers, National Association of Women Judges, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.Judge Groman chairs the Domestic Trafficking Subgroup, the Camp to Community Transition Task Force, and the Delinquency Education Subcommittee.
Judge Groman is married to Cecilia Quigley Groman.They live in Los Angeles with their two pitbull mixes, Weezer and Diamond.
2011 Trailblazer Award
Hon. Mark Leno
In 2008, Mark Leno was elected to the State Senate, representing California’s 3rd Senate District encompassing all of Marin County, and parts of Sonoma and San Francisco Counties. Senator Leno chairs the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.
From 2002-2008, Senator Leno served in the California State Assembly, representing the 13th District, which encompasses the eastern portion of San Francisco. Prior to his election to the Assembly, he served for four and a half years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
During his tenure in the Legislature, Senator Leno has fought for better schools and access to higher education, foster youth, a cleaner and sustainable environment, single-payer universal health care, improved transportation, renewable energy, safer streets and equal rights for all Californians.
A native of Wisconsin, Senator Leno attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, then went on to become valedictorian of his graduating class at the American College of Jerusalem, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree. He also spent two years in Rabbinical Studies at The Hebrew Union College in New York. Senator Leno is the owner of Budget Signs, Inc., a small business he founded in 1978 and operated with his life partner, Douglas Jackson. Together, the two entrepreneurs steadily grew their sign business until Jackson passed away from complications relating to HIV/AIDS in 1990. This deep loss would not deter Leno. Instead, he redoubled his efforts in community service.
2011 Mentorship Award
Hon. Anthony Portantino
Anthony Portantino has represented the 44th Assembly District since his election to the Assembly in November 2006. The 44th Assembly District includes the communities of Altadena, Duarte, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena and Temple City. It also includes portions of Arcadia, Monrovia, Mayflower Village, and the Los Angeles communities of Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Highland Park, and Mount Washington.
Assemblymember Portantino has been instrumental in establishing the California Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program. Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells have been used successfully in treating Leukemia and many other blood related diseases. Portantino has worked with the HIV/AIDS community on bills that help make it easier to diagnose HIV positive patients. His broad legislative agenda includes cooperative efforts with the music industry on groundbreaking legislation that protects the legacy of legendary vocal groups, such as the Drifters and Coasters, and the State PTA on a new law that encourages teens to call for help during alcohol poisoning emergencies.
Throughout his two terms in the Assembly, Portantino has charted an independent course and fought to put partisanship aside. Seven different times he has introduced legislation to freeze the salaries of California’s highest paid workers; he has twice introduced a measure to create an Inspector General to root out waste and fraud in state government; and he has pushed for “Pay As You Go” legislation that would force the Legislature to prioritize its policy agenda and requires identified funding for new bills, ballot initiatives and programs.
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Portantino spent many years working in film and television production. He served nearly eight years on the La Cañada Flintridge City Council, including two terms as Mayor. He is a past member of the Pasadena City College Bond Oversight Committee and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Committee.
Assemblymember Portantino was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. Following his father’s untimely death, he was raised by his mother, Barbara, whom he says has had the greatest influence on his life. Her tremendous spirit and warm Italian heart inspired him, and her determined struggle to send her kids to college changed the course of his life.
Assemblymember Portantino attended public schools and graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania where he met his future wife, Ellen, a business executive at Warner Brothers. Anthony and Ellen have two daughters, Sofia, who attends a public university in California, and Bella Rose, who attends a public elementary school. Anthony continues to be active in the PTA, Girl Scouts and AYSO soccer were he has been a volunteer referee for over a decade.
2011 Visionary Award
Candis Cayne
Raised in Maui Hawaii, Brendan McDanniel a.k.a Candis Cayne (twin brother to Dylan) left the island for the big apple at age 19. Candis burst on stage in the mid nineties with a high kick at Boy Bar New York, the East Village weekly, where grand production value met tight choreography in a winning formula. At the time, she performed in drag, but soon realized that she was a transgender woman, thus making the transition from drag to her true gender identity in front of her audience! Candis’ campy, funny, song and dance productions quickly became “fundraisers” for her surgeries. Her audience and fans were eager to help her through her process until Candis Cayne was truly reborn.
The leggy Hawaiian raised Cayne rose through the ranks and was soon enjoying star status, helped by her years of dance training and her sex kitten presence. Soon, Candis was staging complex production numbers at Wigstock and other large-scale events around the globe, often involving dozens of background dancers and weeks of rehearsal. Subsequently her film career took off both in front and behind the camera. Candis and Kenny Ortega (Dirty Dancing, High School Musical, Hannah Montana) choreographed the feature films, Too Wong Fu and Stonewall. She then got a break and starred in Mob Queen with David Proval and Tony Serico (famed for their roles on Sopranos) she was featured in Wigstock the movie, and in Dragtime on HBO which lead to commercials, music videos, television shows, and print ads.
In 2001, Candis won the coveted title of Miss Continental, an annual talent and beauty contest held in Chicago, which is the biggest and most exclusive transgender pageant in the country. Candis continued to perform her one-woman show in New York while being a fixture at New York Fashion week, shooting music videos and making indy films. Roles became few and far between in the early 2000’s as the industry didn’t know what to do with a trans actress.
But in 2007, Candis made a guest appearance on CSI New York where she played a transgender murder victim. Candis worked closely with the producers and writers to make sure that it was an accurate storyline. She also graced the big screen that year in RuPaul’s feature film Star Booty Reloaded, where she played RuPaul’s arch nemesis, Annika Manners.
In 2008, Candis landed the biggest role of her career on ABC’s series Dirty Sexy Money, where she plays Billy Baldwin’s transgender lover. This is a groundbreaking opportunity in that it’s the first time that a transgender part is being played by transgender actress in a network recurring role. It’s also the first time that primetime television has embraced such a character.
Later this summer, Candis will be seen in Logo’s series Sordid Lives. Candis was honored this year with the role of Grand Marshall of New York’s pride festivities. It was New York that embraced Candis many years ago and helped her shape her life into becoming such a role model for others. She was humbled by the honor. She also hosted the GLAAD Awards in San Fransisco and The New Now Next Awards on Logo.
Currently, while filming season two of Dirty Sexy Money, Candis continues to perform her one-woman show combining dance, voice, and comedy to make an original and exhilarating entertainment experience. Her venue was singled out by the New York Times as a must see. She continues to focus on acting career while representing the transgender community in a positive light.