Awards Will Honor Efforts by and for Gays

Lu King and Cov Davis have been affectionately called the “grandmas” of the gay community in Orange County.

Both women are in their 60s, both have been married, and between them they have seven children and eight grandchildren. They also have been domestic partners for the last 16 years.

“We break the stereotype of who typical homosexual people are,” Davis said.

King and Davis are a team. They consider themselves activists and are dedicated to spending countless hours raising public awareness about gay issues.

The women are among the recipients of the first Take Pride Awards that will be given Sunday to individuals and organizations who made noteworthy contributions to the gay community last year, said Richard C. Grauman, chair of the Take Pride Awards committee.

The ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave. A $7 donation is suggested.

“The whole point is to recognize people behind the scenes--people not recognized before who may not be in the spotlight but who really do get the job done,” Grauman said.

The event is sponsored by the Orange County Federation of Gay, Lesbian and HIV Organizations, comprising 39 gay support groups.

There are 12 award categories, including salutes to individuals as well as organizations.

Grauman said the need to pay tribute to these unsung people who should “take pride” for their accomplishments was envisioned by Dennis Cabaret, a respected leader in the gay community who died in December.

“Dennis’ idea was a good one because there was such an overall response that it was needed in the community,” Grauman said.

Cabaret, who died before he could see his idea come to fruition, will be remembered by having the Visionary Award named in his honor, Grauman said.

The award will be given to Grauman not only for his contributions as a volunteer but also for his vision for the gay community.

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Grauman has organized a team of 80 Orange County athletes who will participate this summer in the Gay Games IV in New York.

Another award recipient, Marti Schrank, who is heterosexual, is working to secure support for gays from members of her church, the Congregational Church of Fullerton.

“It’s sad that churches are supposed to be Christian and loving, but there are a lot of churches that if you’re gay and lesbian, they don’t want you there,” said Schrank, 56, of Fullerton. “They’ll shun you, and to me, that’s despicable and it’s very unchristian.”

Schrank will receive the Bridge Builder Award for her efforts at closing the gap between the gay and heterosexual communities.

“I’m really humbled to receive this award,” said the political and civil rights activist.

King and Davis, who live in Tustin, are among the five recipients of the Outstanding Volunteers of the Year awards.

Both said they are surprised but pleased at the honor.

“We’re grateful and we know there are a lot of people in the community who have done a lot more than we have,” said King, 65, who is retired.

The two have volunteered much of their spare time, marching in gay parades and walking precincts for legislators who are supportive of gay issues.

“We feel it’s our God-given duty to work for what we feel is a human right that has been denied to a class of people through no fault of their own,” said Davis, 63, a Superior Court clerk.

King added: “We are proud to be lesbians and we want to do everything (we can) to let people know.”

Both are also longtime members of the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club and founders of a gay ministry, the St. Aelred and Hildegard Society, at the Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana.

“We feel fully accepted within the church,” King said.

Among other honorees will be the Fountain Valley High School Student Alliance, the first gay student support group to meet on a high school campus in the county. The students will be given the Non-Federation Contribution Award.

The formation of the Student Alliance last fall resulted in controversy and protest from fellow students, parents and others opposed to the group meeting at school.

“What (the students) did is they broke down a lot of the stereotypes people had about the gay and lesbian community,” Grauman said. “I think they brought a lot of important issues about gay youth to the forefront. . . . They have overwhelmingly educated the community at large.”

Michael Poff, a Fountain Valley High School teacher and the Student Alliance adviser, said the group, which has about 50 gay and heterosexual students, deserves the accolade.

“I think this is a wonderful award for the work they’ve put in and the growth they’ve experienced in the process of putting this all together,” he said. “They are fine people, and it’s nice they’re getting recognition for it.”

Award Winners

The first Take Pride Awards will be given out Sunday to individuals and organizations who made noteworthy contributions to the gay community last year. Here are the recipients:

* Event of the Year Award--The 1993 Leadership Training Program’s “October Surprise,” which called attention to the fact that members of the gay community are everyone’s neighbors, and Youth Education Services World AIDS Day, which put on events at college campuses to bring awareness about AIDS.

* Non-Federation Contribution Award--Fountain Valley High School Student Alliance, a support group for gay students.

* Bridge Builder Award--Marti Schrank, for bringing together the gay and heterosexual communities.

* Special Program Award--Speakers Bureau of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, which provides education to the community at large about homosexuality.

* Outstanding AIDS Project Award--NAMES Project, Orange County chapter, which displays a quilt made up of panels memorializing individuals who have died of AIDS.

* In Remembrance Award--The late Alan Schwalbe, an activist and retired schoolteacher who was killed in his home last August by an unknown assailant.

* Leadership Training Program Graduate Award--Joyce Stuart, a graduate of the first Leadership Training Program class in 1991.

* Individual Contribution Award--Mel Trickey, a parent of two gay children and advocate for civil rights of homosexuals.

* Outstanding Volunteers of the Year Awards--John Bilbao, who is involved with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Veterans Assn.; Lyn Calerdine, a volunteer for the Elections Committee of the County of Orange; Pete Ferrazano, who gave time to Laguna Outreach, AIDS Services Foundation and Team Orange County, and Lu King and Cov Davis, who have served in various ways, from marching in parades to bringing food to potlucks and being involved in their church.

* Business Contribution Award--The Orange County Blade, a monthly newsmagazine for the gay and bisexual community.

* Collaborative Effort Award--The Elections Committee of the County of Orange, the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club and the Log Cabin Club.

* Dennis Cabaret Visionary Award--Richard C. Grauman, for his numerous volunteer activities.