Larry Kessler, a monumental figure in Boston’s LGBTQ community, received the HistoryMaker Award at The History Project’s annual awards fête. Kessler was the founding director of the AIDS Action Committee, guiding it through the crucial first decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A proclamation from Mayor Marty Walsh was read declaring October 11 as Larry Kessler Day in the City of Boston. The citation cited Kessler as “a public beacon of love and hope.” Allison Wright, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) received the Lavender Rhino Award, given to emerging leaders in the LGBTQ community. Wright has primarily dedicated her work to addressing issues impacting LGBTQ people of color. Founded in 1980, The History Project is one of the nation’s premier independent LGBTQ history organizations, with archival collections totaling more than one million records.
