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This is the cover of the October issue of TWELVE soldiers featuring WILSON CRUZ
Twelve Soldiers Is A Year-Long Series That Features A LGBTQIA+ Social Justice Warrior Who Has Used Their Position To Affect Change In The LGBTQIA+ Community
HOLLYWOOD, CA, UNITED STATES, October 17, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- With portraits by acclaimed photographer and artist Paul Robinson and interviews by Alan Uphold, Twelve Soldiers uplifts, elevates and raises awareness for LGBTQIA+ causes year-round. Spotlighting 12 leaders, in the LGBTQIA+ community, Beginning in February 2024,Twelve Soldiers appears monthly with profiles of the causes that are important to them: personal action and collective change. Through images and interviews, Twelve Soldiers showcases the lives of leaders working to change the world. Centering compassion, care and community, Twelve Soldiers wins the battle for hearts and minds.
Following the debut issue on February 1st honoring Oscar and Tony Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Rustin, Milk, Silver Linings Playbook), Twelve Soldiers turned its lens on Comedian. Actor. Musician. Advocate. Entrepreneur Margaret Cho, followed by fundraiser Jorge Valencia, President of the Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson, Actor, singer, musician, author, activist, and comedian, among other talents, Andrew Levitt is one of the most famous drag queens on the planet with his character Nina West, and Shannon Winter, an openly transgender man who would argue some of the most consequential LGBTQIA+ cases in the American jurisprudence.
The current Soldier, Wilson Cruz, (born Wilson Echevarría in New York of Afro-Puerto Rican heritage) is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life, Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery, and the recurring character Junito on Noah's Arc among many other film and television roles.
Cruz works with and advocates on behalf of LGBTQIA+ youth, especially youth of color. He has volunteered his time as host for the Youth Zone, an online community at Gay for LGBT youth. He was the Grand Marshal of the 1998 West Hollywood Gay Pride parade, the 2005 Chicago Pride Parade and the 2019 Fierté Montréal Pride Parade in Québec. In 2008, he was the keynote speaker at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Lavender Graduation and Rainbow Banquet honoring graduating LGBT students. Wilson joined the board of directors of GLAAD in 1997 to assist the organization through a leadership transition and joined the staff of GLAAD in 2012 as a National Spokesperson and Strategic Giving Officer. In 2020, Wilson was honored on one of the covers of Out magazine's annual Out100 issue, saying Wilson "beautifully weaves his activism inside every aspect of his work".
Throughout his life, Wilson Cruz has managed to incorporate three distinct essences of his being into virtually everything he has done-being Latino, being gay, and being a performer. As an openly gay Latino, Cruz has been able to use his platform as an actor, singer, dancer and producer to promote positive portrayals of both of his communities. As such, he well deserves to be among the Twelve Soldiers.
In addition to the tribute of words and images, each honoree receives a $1000 donation to the charity of his, her or their choice from NEFT Vodka.
You and your audience can view the latest, and past, issues of The Twelve Soldiers Project by visiting href="" rel="external nofollow" target="_blank">twelvesoldiers and on Instagram @twelvesoldiers
Paul Robinson is a photography based, mixed media contemporary artist located in Los Angeles who regularly works and exhibits in London, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles and has been collected throughout the United States, Europe Asia, and the Middle East. His images are a unique and sometimes whimsical blend of story and image, usually layering or juxtaposing people and their surroundings. Paul Robinson is the Chief Creative Officer for NEFT Vodka and the creator of the Twelve Soldiers Project.
Alan Uphold is a communication consultant, speechwriter, and public speaking professor who began his career as a publicist at Warner Brothers in 1992. Between continuing as a celebrity and corporate publicist as well as teaching, Uphold has volunteered innumerable hours as a board member for Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and Stonewall National Museum & Archives, among others. He currently splits his time between Tavira, Portugal and Palm Springs, California with his husband, Jeff, and their rescue dog, Tucker.
NEFT Vodka is a Premium Austrian vodka that believes the world is a better place when diversity is celebrated, and people come together to lift, support, and bring awareness to communities and individuals who may be underrepresented.
CONTACT: PAUL ROBINSON
323 394-6388
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@probinsonart
Paul Robinson
Twelve Soldiers
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MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.