2023 GALA HONOREES
THE LOFT ANNOUNCES TWO RECIPIENTS FOR THE EDIE WINDSOR & THEA SPYER EQUALITY AWARD
The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center is proud to announce that for the first time in The LOFT’s history, 2023 will have two recipients for The Edie Windsor & Thea Spyer Equality Award, The Honorable Mondaire Jones, and Westchester County Executive, George Latimer.
Both lawmakers and leaders have made extraordinary contributions that have directly impacted and empowered The LOFT and so many lives of our LGBTQ+ community! We hope you can join us on Friday, September 22, 2023, as we celebrate these incredible community champions.
BIOGRAPHIES
The Honorable Mondaire Jones
Mondaire Jones serves as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and is Of Counsel at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, New York’s premier civil rights law firm. He is also a former CNN political contributor and Congressman for New York’s 17th District.
Prior to elected office, Mr. Jones clerked for Judge Andrew Carter of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. At Davis Polk, Mr. Jones was awarded by The Legal Aid Society of New York for his pro bono service investigating claims of employment discrimination and helping families defrauded during the Great Recession recover funds. Subsequently, he served as a litigator in the Westchester County Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Jones is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School. After graduating Stanford, he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy. There, he vetted candidates for federal judgeships and worked to reform our criminal legal system to make it more fair and equitable.
In Congress, as a high-profile member of the House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Jones championed civil rights and civil liberties, as well as defended our democracy. In addition to being an intellectual and legislative leader on voting rights, democracy, and Supreme Court reform, Mr. Jones successfully passed legislation that rescued the American economy at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, made historic investments in infrastructure, capped the price of prescription drugs for Medicare recipients, and took historic climate action. His bill with Rep. Jerry Nadler called the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects the rights of same-sex and interracial couples to get married, is now law. And he secured $37 million for 24 different community projects throughout New York’s 17th Congressional District, from improving public housing units in Peekskill to creating the first-ever LGBTQ+ community health center in the Hudson Valley in Nyack.
In the 117th Congress, Mr. Jones served as the youngest member of House leadership and was named by Axios as the most legislatively active freshman member of Congress. He made history when elected as the nation’s first openly gay, Black member of Congress.
Westchester County Executive, George Latimer
George Latimer, a third generation Westchester native, was born on November 22, 1953 in Mount Vernon to the late Stanley and Loretta (Miner) Latimer. In January 2018 Latimer took office as the 9th Westchester County Executive, and was elected to a second term in November 2021, never losing an election after over three decades in public office.
During his tenure as County Executive, Latimer has upheld an impressive record of achievements including four consecutive County property tax cuts and credit rating stabilization. He is also responsible for bringing several long-standing infrastructure projects to fruition including Memorial Field, the Elijah J. Miller House, Sprain Ridge Pool, New Rochelle Family Court, and the North and South County Trailways. Latimer lead Westchester through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, helping the County to rebound, rebuild and recover. He made history when he unveiled the County’s 9/11 First Responders Memorial on the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, dedicated to the heroes who passed away from 9/11 related illnesses.
A resident of the City of Rye for over 35 years, Latimer ran his first successful race for public office in 1987, earning him a seat on the Rye City Council. Four years later, in 1991, he was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, where he became the first-ever Democrat to win the 7th District seat representing the City of Rye, the Village of Larchmont, and Mamaroneck Town and Village. During the 13 years Latimer was a member of the Chamber, he served as Minority Leader and then as the first Democratic Chairman of the Board of Legislators in Westchester County history.
Elected in 2004 to the State Assembly, Latimer continued a solid record of accomplishment, sponsoring legislation and advancing funding for environmental issues including the protection of the Long Island Sound. During his tenure in the Assembly, Latimer authored more than 20 new laws. Latimer was then elected to the State Senate in November 2012, representing the 37th District comprised of 16 Westchester municipalities, ranging from Bedford to Yonkers. While in the State Senate, he served as Ranking Minority Member for the Senate Education Committee.
Latimer has worked with all stakeholders on key social justice reforms, including the Police Reform and Reimagining Task Force, banning Gay Conversion Therapy, signing the Anti-Wage Theft Law and the Wage History Anti-Discrimination Law, among others. He has worked to electrify the County’s Bee-Line Bus Fleet, and modernize all County facilities for a green future.
Latimer’s sound business experience, his record of public service and his dedication to Westchester County have been the driving force behind his efforts for the last 35 years. Using inclusion and openness as a foreground, he is fighting to make Westchester County a destination for all people to live, work and enjoy.
CIRCLE CARE CENTER NAMED AS THE 2023 RECIPIENT OF THE LOFT’S BUSINESS ALLY AWARD
The LOFT is proud to announce that Circle Care Center (CCC) as 2023’s honoree of The Business Ally Award. CCC has stood by The LOFT as an annual sponsor providing critical funding for our programs and services, with plans to join The LOFT in the new location. CCC will open an LGBTQ+ Affirming health clinic that will be a part of The LOFT’s new center campus. The LOFT is incredible grateful for the outstanding work that CCC has done for the LGBTQ+ Community!
About Circle Care Center
Circle Care Center is a non-profit healthcare provider that was founded in 2011 as a center of excellence for the treatment and prevention of HIV. We are Connecticut's first public health center specializing in LGBTQI+ affirming care and sexual health.
Our mission is to provide the highest quality medical care to our patients in Connecticut, specializing in primary care for people living with HIV and the LGBTQI+ community, as well as HIV prevention (PrEP & PEP), Hepatitis C, and STI testing and treatment. In 2015, Circle Care Center began offering Gender-Affirming Care and Behavioral Health Services.
Circle Care Center has a long history of providing high-quality, affordable healthcare to the LGBTQI+ community and people living with HIV. Since our founding, we have made grants totaling more than $6 million to support the work of local, national, and international organizations. Some of the organizations that have received this support include:
- Triangle Community Center
- MFAP (Mid-Fairfield AIDS Project)
- The Loft LGBTQ Community Center
- New Haven Pride Center
- Lambda Legal
- Beat AIDS
- Project Zimbabwe
- HIV Equal
- Newlands Clinic Zimbabwe
Future plans for Circle Care Center include expanding its reach and providing high-quality, affordable healthcare to more people in Connecticut and the surrounding areas. In 2023, Circle Care Center plans to open its second medical office in Glastonbury, CT. The new site is located in a central location that is easily accessible to patients from all over the state. CCC also has a goal of opening a new medical site in White Plains, NY in The LOFT’s new building by 2025.
The LOFT is a leading LGBTQI+ community center in White Plains, and this new partnership will allow Circle Care Center to provide its services to even more people in the region. The opening of these new medical sites is part of our mission to make high-quality, affirming healthcare more accessible to everyone. We are excited to continue to grow and expand our services in the years to come.
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