New International Award Celebrates Outstanding Contributions of Lesbians Worldwide

The winners of this year’s inaugural International Lesbian Visibility Awards, which aim to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of lesbians excelling in all walks of life worldwide, have been announced.

This year’s winners (by category) include:

· EL*C International Lesbian Visibility Award: Olena Shevchenko

· LesWorking Spanish Lesbian Visibility Award: Paloma del Rio

· Lesbian Pioneer Award: Shelley Anderson

· Lesbian Community Award #1: Shadi Amin

· Lesbian Community Award #2: Sapphosutra (Lou Dvina & Leo Lacombe)

· Lesbian Allyship Award: Ise Bosch

“While LGBTQ+ awards are held all over the world, lesbians are scarcely among the awardees,” according to the award organizers LesWorking and EuroCentralAsian Lesbian Community (EL*C). “So, it becomes our prerogative to celebrate visible lesbians during a unique evening at the sumptuous Tenerife Auditorium, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Auditorium on November 18, 2022. The awards are a unique opportunity to recognize outstanding lesbians across generations, which is why we have included a category entitled 'Lesbian Pioneers' among others.”

Next week’s Awards Gala will be hosted by lesbian slam poet and performance artist Joëlle Sambi (below right) and bisexual comedian Patricia Galván (below left). It will also feature performances by indie rock superstar Michi, the talented flamenco artist Noelia La Negri and DJ Sofia Cristo.

“It's an honor to perform at the inaugural International Lesbian Visibility Awards. Events such as this aim to celebrate the diversity and lived experience of lesbians worldwide and help us all feel proud of who we are,” shared Michi Raymond (below), also a business development director at myGwork, the largest networking and recruitment platform for LGBTQ+ professionals. “Growing up, I didn't have many lesbian references, especially in the music industry. Pioneers such as Melissa Etheridge, k.d. Lang, Indigo Girls, and Ani Difranco really helped pave the way for artists like me, and it's a privilege to walk on stage and pay tribute to the women who helped make a space for queer artists like me.”

For the inaugural edition of these prestigious awards, the organizers EL*C and LesWorking are fundraising for war relief for Ukrainian LBQ women and nonbinary persons. All money raised at the Awards Gala will go directly to support the LGBTQ+ community fleeing the war. EL*C offers humanitarian aid to two LGBTQ+ shelters in Ukraine, run by member organization Insight. It also offers grants to ensure the safe passage and relocation of LGBTQ+ refugees, as well as helplines and support. EL*C has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser.

EL*C is a feminist intersectional lesbian network representing 70 lesbian organizations and hundreds of individual members, recognizing the multitude of needs surrounding the rights, the visibility and the well-being of lesbians throughout Europe and Central Asia. Lesworking is the first international professional network for lesbian and bisexual women based in Spain, Latin America and the rest of the world, working towards a more lesbian-friendly future for all. Click here to find out more about the awards.

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