Trevor Storrs will be the Grand Marshal for Anchorage’s 2012 Celebrating Diversity Parade, Alaska Pride Fest announced Saturday. The Celebrating Diversity Parade, to be held on Saturday, June 9, is part of Alaska Pride Fest 2012. Bent Alaska joins Alaska Pride Fest in thanking Trevor for his many years of service to the Alaska LGBTQ community.

The following biography appears at the Alaska Pride Fest website:

Trevor Storrs, a community leader has worked and helped to build a stronger Anchorage over the past 15 years.  His commitment to systemic change and inclusion has reduced barriers faced by many disenfranchised individuals.

Trevor’s commitment to community engagement began as a teenager – volunteering with his mother at local social service organizations.  In 1994, he achieved a Bachelor’s of Art in Sociology from the University of Lethbridge and then went on to acquire a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1997 from Gallaudet University.  Since his coming out in his early twenties, Trevor has been an active LGBT advocate.  For many years, Trevor has been a strong supporter in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  For nearly ten years, Trevor was the Executive Director of Alaska’s leading HIV/AIDS organization, the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s).  Prior to his role as Executive Director, he was on the Four A’s Board of Directors for nearly 4 years.  Trevor also was a member of Identity’s Board of Directors.  Through the years Trevor has been a vocal member of the LGBT community, representing the community on various advisory boards and testifying before government officials regarding LGBT rights.  Most recently, Trevor was the Chair of the leadership team and spokesperson for One Anchorage – working towards establishing the same legal protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender residents and visitors to Anchorage as already enjoyed by their non-LGBT friends and neighbors.  When Trevor is not working or volunteering, he and his partner of 14 years, Steve, can be found attending various LGBT events and fundraisers.

Trevor’s level of community engagement has gone beyond LGBT issues.  For four years Trevor was a member of the Anchorage Municipality ADA Commission, whose mission is to ensure that Anchorage is an accessible community to individuals with disabilities. Trevor was a founding member of the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and has been its co-chair since its inception in 2005.  He led the charge in implementing the nationally recognized Project Homeless Connect project in Anchorage, which has spread to four other communities in Alaska and served thousands of homeless individuals and families.

Trevor is honored to be Grand Marshal for Pride Fest 2012.  This year’s Pride is significantly important – over the past 8 months, community members came out in droves to make Anchorage a more equal city by supporting the One Anchorage campaign.  Pride Fest is an opportunity for our community to come together publicly to rejoice in the successes we achieved over these past months and to thank those before us who have paved the way.  It is an opportunity for us to not only show our pride in the LGBT community but all of Anchorage.