GALAEI Honors Philly Revolutionary Leaders at 25th Anniversary Celebration

Philly queer Latin social justice organization GALAEI is gearing up to host its 25th anniversary celebration, an evening that will see the doling out of three David Acosta Revolutionary Leader Awards (DARLA). The trophies will go to Philly go-getters who have worked to improve the lives of queer Latino communities.

The night’s highest honor, simply called The DARLA, will go to Louis “Louie” Ortiz (right), a photographer who has worked on campaigns for the Mazzoni Center and GALAEI. Most recently he has taken on the ambitious personal task of photographing every Latino gay man in Philly in a series he calls “El Gran Varónes.” The project aims to “tell our own history, document our own realities, and chronicle a history that is rarely told – a history that should be told by us.”

Diana Estefania Estrada Alamo will receive the Youth DARLA award. She’s being recognized for her involvement with Penn’s Center for Hispanic Excellence: La Casa Latina, Queer People of Color (QPOC), and for her work to establish the university’s Inclusivity and Support for Queer People of Color Task Force.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPboNo6adE

 The Organizational DARLA goes to The Philadelphia Foundation (TPF). The public charity community organization has worked with GALAEI since 2010, supporting programs like Outlet, an empowerment project for Latino youth.

 The soirée takes place Friday, May 9th, from 6-9pm at William Way Community Center. For tickets and more information, visit galaei.org, or the event’s Facebook page.

Happy anniversary, GALAEI!