DALLAS, TX, (NAMC) - Lambda Legal announced today that critically acclaimed actor B.D. Wong will be presented the 2005 Lambda Profile Award at the second annual “Lambda at the Nasher” celebration, which commemorates the historic 2003 Lawrence v. Texas U.S. Supreme Court decision. The organization will also recognize local high school graduate James Barnett who was expelled from Trinity Christian Academy for being gay with the 2005 Courage Award. Keynote speaker for the event will be Jon Davidson, Legal Director for Lambda Legal. Also appearing will be B. Birgit Koebke, a plaintiff in a Lambda Legal appeal pending before the California Supreme Court regarding country club membership discrimination. The second annual Lambda at the Nasher will be held on Sunday, June 26, 2005, at the acclaimed Nasher Sculpture Center in the Dallas Arts District.
B.D. Wong will be awarded the Lambda Profile Award, which honors individuals who have used their position or influence to make a difference in the lives of the LGBT community. A star of NBC’s Emmy nominated, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” series, B.D. Wong holds the distinction of being the only actor to have ever received all five major New York theater awards for a single role; including, the Tony Award and Clarent Derwent Award, for his Broadway debut in “M. Butterfly.” Wong recently starred in Stephen Sondheim’s “PACIFIC OVERTURES” at Roundabout Theatre on Broadway; in addition, to completing his directorial debut on the feature film “SOCIAL GRACE.” A few of B.D. Wong’s many other credits includes both HBO’s series “OZ” and telefim “And the Band Played On” as well as “Jurassic Park,” “Father of the Bride,” and “The Salton Sea.” In 2004, Wong published his first book, “Following Foo: (the electronic adventures of the Chestnut Man)” (Harper Entertainment), which chronicles his son Jackson Foo Wong’s struggle for life after he was born 11 weeks premature.
“Two years ago, Lambda Legal won it’s most significant court victory – the historic Supreme Court decision of Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down as unconstitutional those laws which criminalized private intimacy between adults,” said Dennis Coleman, director of the South Central Region for Lambda Legal. “We are pleased to honor such a visible role model as B.D. Wong, who has reached across society so successfully thru the mediums of film, television and theater, with this award on the eve of one of the most historic dates in our community.”
James Barrett will be awarded the 2005 Courage Award, which is presented annually to an individual or organization in recognition of outstanding courage in the face of uncertainty, discrimination and hostility in the advancement of civil rights for the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities. A recent high school honors graduate of Plano West High School, Barnett received national attention when he was expelled just months before his high school graduation from Trinity Christian Academy (TCA). After more than twelve years as a student at TCA, Barnett was confronted by administrators after the discovery that he owned and operated a support website for gay, bisexual and questioning teens. Following a week long investigation, that included his “outing,” TCA expelled him from the school.
Lambda At The Nasher
What: Second annual Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court victory celebration
When: Sunday, June 26, 2005, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora Street, Dallas, Texas 75201
Tickets: Tickets are available for $150 per person; Tickets and additional information are available at 214-219-8585.
About Lambda Legal
Lambda Legal is the nation’s largest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and people with HIV/AIDS through impact litigation, education and public policy work. Headquartered in New York, and with offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta, Lambda has regional and national expertise in all aspects of sexual orientation and HIV-related law and policy. For more information, please visit
www.lambdalegal.orgAbout South Central Regional Office
The South Central Regional Office (SCRO) of Lambda Legal is the organization’s newest region covering Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska and Colorado. Now in its second year, the SCRO is shifting the legal landscape throughout the South Central United States, where anti-gay and HIV-related discrimination is especially entrenched. The office can be reached directly at 214-219-8585.
