Teens Constance McMillen and Derrek Martin honored by LifeWorks Mentoring at Life Out Loud benefit

LIFEWORKS MENTORING: I’m sick as a dog today with a cold and had to miss this morning’s pride parade in West Hollywood for the first time in ages. But I did manage to attend last night’s  annual Life Out Loud cocktail party at Sunset Gower Studios, benefiting LifeWorks, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s youth development program.

The party is always a wonderful way to kick off pride weekend and this year honored Constance McMillen, the Mississippi teen whose school canceled prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend, and Derrick Martin, the Georgia teen whose parents kicked him out of the house when his plans to take a male date to prom generated media attention.

Both received the Courage Award at the event which was attended by such celebs as Hairspray director Adam Shankman, Olympian Greg Louganis, actress Charlene Tilton of Dallas fame and actors Doug Spearman (Noah’s Arc), actor and comedian Jason Stuart, Jason Gould whose mother is Barbra Streisand, and actor Gordon Thompson of Dynasty fame.

LifeWorks Executive Director Michael Ferrera, said the event raised about $130,000.

“There are many areas of our world where people are still trying to keep the doors shut,” he reminded the crowd. Michael said Constance and Derrick were being honored as “examples of what happens when you stand up for your rights, when you show the true courage of standing up for your identity and showing the world that we deserve to be who we are. These two young people stood up and said, ‘We want to go to our prom, we deserve to take the people we love to our prom.”

Constance, whose advocacy has gained her lots of national attention and appearances on both Ellen DeGeneres and Wanda Sykes’s talks show, told the crowd: It was really hard what I went through. I realize now that what happened to me happens to people every single day … I hope that by standing up for myself and doing what I did, maybe it’ll inspire other people to stand up for themselves and then maybe one day, hopefully soon, we’ll have equal rights all around.”

Added Derrick:  “We’re nothing different than anyone else. We’re just attracted to someone different. We need equal rights, it’s not something special, it’s something we deserve as people.”

Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, told the crowd that since LifeWorks became a part of the center last year,
they have expanded their programs dramatically “because we know there is so much need out there among the youth of our community.”

Pictured below are 1) Greg Louganis 2) Greg Hernandez and Gordon Thompson 3) Michael Ferrera and Charlene Tilton.