Save Young Guardians' Luminary Awards

SAVE's 4th annual Luminary Awards will be held again this year atop the Bacard� headquarters building in Coral Gables on Thursday, August 18, from 6-9 pm.

This year's awards will be presented to community leaders who are working for LGBT rights. Benjamin "Brotha Ben" Evans, Wilton Manors Commissioner Justin Flippen, social justice advocate LJ Woolston, HIV/AIDS activist Jason King, and community advocate Lutze Segu were announced as the recipients of SAVE's 2016 Young Guardians Awards.

"In the face of what has often been an uphill battle to defend the rights of our community, these five leaders have bravely stood up to help further LGBTQ equality," said SAVE Executive Director Tony Lima. "None of what we've achieved for equality over the past year would have been possible without young leaders like our 2016 Luminaries fighting the good fight at the front lines of the battle. We're so proud to honor them."

Here's a little more about each of this year's awardees.

Benjamin "Brotha Ben" Evans is a Baptist minister, motivational speaker and Managing Director of BMe Community where he oversees the execution of a national campaign strategy to build caring and prosperous communities inspired by Black men. Last year, Ben made headlines when he came out as gay in a column posted on The Root, the popular online magazine covering the Black community.

Commissioner Justin Flippen is a Broward County native with a long record of leadership in South Florida. After receiving his law degree from the University of Florida, he started out as a legislative assistant in Tallahassee in 1997, eventually working his way up to winning election as Commissioner of Wilton Manors in 2008. He served a term as Vice Mayor and was re-elected handily in 2014. In 2016, he supported a measure directing the City to look into how to fund transgender health insurance benefits, and he led the initiative for Wilton Manors to be the first city in Broward County and one of the first in Florida to ban conversion therapy on minors.

Landon ("LJ") Woolston is an advocate and activist, artist, youth worker, a trans-pan-queer Miami native, and a 2015 Point Foundation Scholar. LJ received his Master of Social Work degree from Florida International University, and is dedicated to using his privilege to interrupt oppression, standing alongside and amplifying the narratives of those who are most marginalized in our communities. For the last three years, LJ has served as the Homeless Service Liaison for Project SAFE, a collaborative program between Pridelines and The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth.

Jason King started working for AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in 2010 in the organization's pharmacy division where he discovered his passion for patient advocacy. King now serves as Advocacy and Legislative Affairs Manager in AHF's Southern Bureau, where he leads local and nationwide advocacy efforts and maintains relations with state and federal officials. He is a member of Impulse, a national HIV prevention group funded by AHF for sexually active gay men 18 to 35.

Lutze Segu is the former Program Director of MCCJ. She has led MetroTown, a week long social justice camp for high school students, for which her work received recognition in the Miami Herald. Teens describe the camp as a life-changing experience. Lutze truly pours her heart into making it a safe space for all regardless of race, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, and physical ability.She recently joined the Miami Workers Center as the Gender Justice organizer, where she is responsible for developing a comprehensive sex education campaign to be implemented in Miami-Dade County public schools.

The 2016 Luminary Awards will be held the evening of August 18 from 6-9 PM at the Bacard� headquarters located at 2701 South Le Jeune Road, Coral Gables, FL 33134. In addition to signing on as the donor of the event space, Bacard� will supply complimentary drinks at the open bar all night long -- offering guests the full selection from its repertoire of premium brands, including Grey Goose vodka.

Tickets to the 2016 Luminary Awards are now available for purchase online at the presale price of $50. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door the evening of August 18 for $75. To buy tickets online, please visit www.luminaryawards.org