The San Diego Pride Awards, popularly known as the Spirit of Stonewall Awards, are presented annually by the San Diego LGBT Pride Board of Directors to recognize individuals and organizations who contribute to the LGBT community through their leadership, activism and fundraising efforts. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented has become a "Who's Who" event during Pride Month. The annual award ceremonies will be held on Monday, July 13, 2009, at the Hilton Bayfront in Downtown San Diego. Award recipients also ride in the Pride parade which starts at 11:00am on Saturday, July 18, 2009.
Each year the Pride organization invites the community to submit nominations for the prestigious community awards which are presented in four categories for individual community service, group or organization service to the community, Champion of Pride and the Friend of the Year.
Award recipients will be announced each month leading up to the Pride Month Celebrations this July.
In addition to the Spirit of Stonewall Awards, the San Diego Pride organization also honors long-partnered couples as Inspirational Couples and Grand Marshals of the Pride Parade.
Midge Costanza
Friend of the Year
San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride honors Midge 
Costanza as its Friend of the Year for her longtime political activism that began while serving as assistant to President Jimmy Carter. The award is given annually to an individual or couple who has stalwartly supported the LGBT community over an extended period of time and/or has made an exceptional contribution in the past year.
Costanza was the first woman in U.S. history appointed to the presidential assistant position, from which she advised President Carter on a number of social issues that included the plight of gays and lesbians in matters of immigration, naturalization and overall discrimination. She continued making history by holding the first meeting at the White House that was attended by various LGBT activists. The meeting ultimately helped open discussion of gay rights among elected officials at a time when the topic rarely entered into the dialogues of high-level government leaders.
A year later, in 1978, when conservative legislator John Briggs introduced Proposition 6 to California voters (a failed initiative that would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools), Costanza jumped into the political fray by publicly denouncing the amendment at rallies in Los Angeles. In her continued effort to raise awareness over LGBT civil rights, she served four years on the board for the National Gay Rights Advocates, speaking sometimes alongside Harvey Milk and other notable activists of that period.
Costanza also became involved in raising money for patient care and medical studies at the onset of the AIDS epidemic, working with various organizations including Search Alliance, AIDS Project Los Angeles and the Men's Health Forum in New York City. In just over a decade, she generated several million dollars for AIDS causes.
"I had lost many friends to AIDS. It was one of the worst periods of gay history," she recalls.
A resident of Hillcrest, Costanza currently serves as public affairs officer for the Office of the San Diego District Attorney. She has participated in every San Diego Pride parade since moving here in 1992, and has received numerous honors from LGBT organizations throughout the U.S. for her tireless activism and public service.
"It's all about seeking justice and giving people the right to choose their own destinies. That is what has driven me over all these years."
The award will be presented to Costanza at a ceremony on July 13, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront downtown. Each year, the community nominates individuals and groups for the prestigious Pride awards that are presented in four categories: individual community service, group or organization service to the community, Champion of Pride, and Friend of the Year.
San Diego LGBT Pride is a community enhancement organization that fosters pride in and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, locally and globally. For 35 years, San Diego Pride has been a tireless advocate for equality and diversity. This year's Pride celebration theme is: "Stonewall 2.0 - Activism for Equality." For information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, call 619-297-7683 or visit the web site at: SanDiegoPride.org.
Hewlett-Packard Company (HP)
Stonewall Service Award
San Diego LGBT Pride has named HP as this year's Stonewall Service
Award recipient, based on the company's exemplary commitment to securing workplace diversity and non-discrimination policies.
The award is bestowed annually to a group or organization that may or may not identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, but which has stalwartly supported the LGBT community over an extended period of time or has made an exceptional contribution in the past year.
Serving more than a billion customers worldwide, HP has created an exemplary workplace environment that puts diversity and non-discrimination policies at the top of its list. For four years in a row, HP has scored 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which ranks employers and their policies and practices pertinent to LGBT employees, consumers and investors.
HP was also among the first large companies to sponsor Pride celebrations throughout the country, including San Diego Pride. The company's long-held commitment to diversity is reflected in the significant progress it has achieved over the years. In the 1990s, HP established domestic partnership programs and gay-lesbian employee networks and continues in its mission to ensure diversity and inclusion initiatives are woven into the fabric of the company.
For HP, diversity and inclusion are key drivers of creativity, innovation and invention. Creating a diverse, inclusive environment has been an ongoing journey of continuous action for the company for many years. Its diversity vision is one of global proportions that require courageous, bold actions from many people throughout the world.
The award will be presented at a ceremony on July 13, at the Hilton Bayfront in downtown San Diego. Each year, the community nominates individuals and groups for the prestigious Pride awards that are presented in four categories: individual community service, group or organization service to the community, Champion of Pride, and Friend of the Year.
Robert H. Gleason
Spirit of Stonewall Champion of Pride
Recognized for his devoted involvement in fundraising, the arts and 
numerous political activities that focus on the LGBT community's quest for equal rights, Robert H. Gleason is the 2009 Champion of Pride. The annual award is given to individuals or couples who demonstrated outstanding leadership in the LGBT community in the previous year, or who have made exceptional contributions over an extended period of time.
Gleason is a founder of the San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council, which helps than 40 organizations in the LGBT and allied communities advance their goals and services. He is a former chair of the San Diego LGBT Community Center, serving on its board since 2001, and is a board member for the national Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, of which he also serves as secretary and chair of its nominating committee.
On the political level, he has been an active member of LGBT advisory boards for San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy and Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA). In 2008, he received the Spirit of Justice Award from Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego for his fundraising work on the No on 8 campaign.
A mover and shaker in the arts scene, Gleason recently rejoined the board of directors of the Old Globe Theatre after previously serving the maximum term. During his prior tenure, he served six years on its executive committee; was vice chair for the theater's fundraising efforts for three years; and co-chaired the organization's record-setting gala in 2006. He is currently a commissioner for San Diego's Commission for Arts and Culture and serves as the chair of its advocacy committee.
Gleason resides in Kensington with his husband Marc Matys and their two young children. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in economics from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law. Outside of his vast involvement in arts and community affairs, he works as chief financial officer and general counsel for Evans Hotels which owns and operates hotels in San Diego, including The Lodge at Torrey Pines and the Bahia and Catamaran resorts on Mission Bay
The award will be presented at a ceremony on July 13 and Gleason will be celebrated in the annual Pride parade. Each year, the community nominates individuals and groups for the prestigious community awards that are presented in four categories; Individual Community Service, Group or Organization Service to the Community, Champion of Pride, and Friend of the Year.
Sally M. Hall
Spirit of Stonewall Community Service Award
Since starting her own business through Raymond James Financial 
Services more than a decade ago, Sally M. Hall has raised $16,000 for a variety of social and political causes of vital importance to San Diego's LGBT community.
Before moving to San Diego in 2003 and immediately becoming involved in the local community, she lived in Colorado Springs where she was awarded Ally of the Year 2002 by Pike's Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center and was honored as grand marshal for the Colorado Springs Pride Fest 2003.
With a few friends, Hall created Lucky Ladies California Hold Em Fundraising benefiting a variety of local organizations including Marriage Equality, AIDS Lifecycle 7, the Toni Atkins Health Care Fund and the Gay Softball League. Most recently, she spearheaded fundraisers for the Special Olympics, SNAP (Spay Neuter Action Project), Diversionary Theater, San Diego Pride, MS Walk, and HRC. Information on her organized fundraisers is available at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/LuckyLadiesofPoker/ .
An expert in managing investment assets and individual portfolios, Hall shares her expertise with the community through a column in Lavender Lens, called This is Reality. She is also the editor of Azalea Park's FLASH e-newsletter and active with the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation's Professional Advisor Network. In addition, she became an "ambassador of Pride" earlier this year through a new sponsorship program that helps raise the visibility of San Diego Pride's mission in the community while dispersing funds to various service organizations and charities.