Nov 4, 2013
Winston-Salem's Janet Joyner Receives 2013 Equality NC Foundation Bob Page Equality Champion Award
Award to be presented at 2013 Equality NC Foundation Gala on Nov. 9, in Greensboro

Janet Joyner
Raleigh, N.C. — Equality NC Foundation announced today that Winston-Salem advocate for Lesbian, Gay, Bixesual and Transgender (LGBT) rights, Janet Joyner, will receive the 2013 Equality NC Foundation Bob Page Equality Champion Award, presented at the 2013 Equality NC Foundation Gala, November 9, in Greensboro.
The Bob Page Equality Champion Award - named for a visionary leader in North Carolina's LGBT movement - honors a lasting legacy of advocacy for LGBT North Carolinians.
REGISTER NOW for the 2013 Equality NC Foundation Gala: https://equalityncfoundation.org/gala
Following her retirement from teaching in 1994, Janet Joyner devoted over a decade to changing policies, programs and practices that negatively impact LGBT youth in North Carolina schools. In 2000, the State Superintendent of Education appointed her to the Safe Schools Advisory Board of the NC Department of Public Instruction where she served for 5 years. And from 2004-2006, she served on the national Advisory Council of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
As a member of the NC State Safe School's Advisory Board, she helped formulate a statewide anti-bullying policy proposed to the State Board of Education for adoption in 2004. The policy became the model for a legislative proposal to the North Carolina General Assembly that became the historic Stop School Violence Protection Act in July of 2009, which was the first law of its kind in the South to protect students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
"Equality NC Foundation is proud to honor Janet Joyner’s extraordinary legacy of advocacy and activism for our community at the 2013 Equality NC Foundation Gala,” said Chris Sgro, Executive Director of Equality NC Foundation. “We encourage all advocates for Equality to join us for this special evening as we celebrate this North Carolina legend in the LGBT movement.”
Other recipients of its 2013 Equality Awards include:
N.C. Sen. Josh Stein, Raleigh, N.C.
(2013 Inaugural Jamie Kirk Hahn Ally Award)
The Jamie Kirk Hahn Ally Award is lasting tribute to a hero of Equality taken too soon. This inaugural acknowledgement of Jamie's extraordinary pro-equality work, named posthumously in her honor, is awarded to a North Carolina LGBT ally for the ages.
Freedom Center for Social Justice, Charlotte, N.C.
(2013 Organization of the Year Award)
This inaugural award recognizes an extraordinary North Carolina organization doing groundbreaking work for LGBT citizens.
N.C. Rep. Tricia Cotham, Matthews, N.C.
(2013 Legislative Leadership Award)
The annual Equality NC Foundation Legislative Leadership Award recognizes exemplar pro-equality leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly.
For more information about the awards and recipients, visit: http://equalityncfoundation.org/gala/2013awards.
The awards will be presented at the 2013 Equality NC Foundation Gala on Saturday, November 9, in downtown Greensboro (Empire Room, 203 S Elm St., Greensboro, NC 27401.) Registration details for the 2013 Equality NC Foundation Gala is available at: http://equalityncfoundation.org/gala.