About The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Awards

In Spring of 2007, QBliss Executive Director, Editor In Chief & Founder, Russell Olivera Jr. decided after eight years of existence of QBliss that he wanted to honor those in our community that were helping to create change within our GLBTIA Community as well as our greater community, while reflecting positive images, messages, and promoting inclusion, tolerance and showing that a community is made of many people, and that each is a vital member. He formed a small group of board members from QBliss to help create the awards.

The very first award "The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “Voice of PRIDE Award” 2007 was given to the Memphis, Tennessee, based organization "Mid South Pride" in June 2007.

Later that year the small group of board members created a second award "The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award: “Community Supporter Award” 2007 and decided that this award would be given to QBliss founder and Executive Director Russell Olivera Jr. These two awards started it all.
In spring of 2008, Olivera and QBliss announced several new awards that would be given out in 2008, including "The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award - Gary Wilkerson Visionary Leadership Award". Olivera hopes that these awards will help show our greater community the power of change that people can create with just the drive of wanting to create it.

That same year, ten new awards were added and were given out for the first time.  They include:
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “Visibility Award” 2008 Awarded to: Actor / Comedian - Leslie Jordan.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “PRIDE In Music Award” and –“Outstanding Song Of The Year” 2008 - Awarded to Recording Artist Ari Gold and his song “Transport Me”.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “PRIDE In Cinema Award” 2008 - Awarded to Filmmaker / Director Robert L. Camina.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – The first “Outstanding Documentary Award” 2008 - Awarded to “Pageant” Directed By Ron Davis & Stewart Halpern.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “Outstanding Feature Film Award” 2008 - Awarded to: “Ciao’ Directed By Yen Tan.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTI Creating Change Community Award – “PRIDE In Literature Award” “Outstanding Book Of The Year” 2008 “Awarded to: Author / Professor Nancy Polikoff and her book “Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage”
• The first ever QBliss GLBTI Creating Change Community Award – “Voice Of Community Award” 2008 Awarded to: Sean Alexander & Kent Hamson Of Mid-South Pride.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTI Creating Change Community Award – “Empowerment Award” 2008 - Awarded to: Rich Overton & RJO Artist Relations & Management.
• The first ever QBliss GLBTI Creating Change Community Award – “Voice Of QBliss" 2008 -” Awarded to: Christopher Neumann Of QBliss

In 2009 The QBliss GLBTI Creating Change Community Awards changed one of the awards name from “Community Supporter Award” to “Community Hero Award” 2009 which was awarded to Kathy Griffin.

The QBliss GLBTI Creating Change Community Awards also five more awards including:
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award –“PRIDE In Theater” 2009 - Awarded to:  “Wicked” San Francisco Production
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award –“Outstanding Theater Production” 2009 - Awarded to: Kisa Jackson Productions
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award –“PRIDE In Television Award” 2009 - Awarded to: Lifetime's "America" Starring Rosie O'Donnell and Ruby Dee
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “Outstanding Film Award” 2009 - Awarded to: Claiming The Title: Gay Olympics On Trial By Directors Jonathan Joiner and Robert H. Martin
• The first ever QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award – “Outstanding Short Film Award” 2009 - Awarded to: “Martini: The Movie" By Filmmaker / Director Robert L. Camina.

In 2010, The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Awards board members decided that the very first award category that was ever given “The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award - Voice of PRIDE Award” would be renamed “The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award - The Russell Olivera Jr.: Voice Of Pride Award" after QBliss’ Founder and Executive Director Russell Olivera Jr. for his PRIDE, dedication, and commitment to QBliss and the GLBTIA community for over eleven years and counting.

In 2010, they also added The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Award - Community Connection Award.

To date The QBliss GLBTIA Creating Change Community Awards has presented a total of 39 awards, in 18 categories. (Excluding 2010 awards which have not been presented yet.)