Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders’ 29th annual Summer Party was a wonderfully successful event. Close to 400 attendees gathered on a perfect summer day to mix, mingle, and bid at Comedianne Kate Clinton’s rousing live auction. Auction items included an African Safari and the opportunity to have your name appear in an upcoming Jodi Picoult novel. Picoult herself was awarded the GLAD Community Award for Sing Me Home, a nuanced tale of the joys and challenges of being an LGBT family. Picoult’s eldest son, Kyle, came out to her while she was writing the novel. “His coming out really did change for me how I approached the book because it wasn’t just a theoretical journey anymore,” said Picoult. “It really is a mom’s mission. How do I make the world a better place so that when Kyle’s ready to get married and have his kids, he doesn’t have to jump through hoops in order to do it?” Over $100,000 was raised at the event.
