Recipients of the annual James M. Holobaugh Honor were recognized at a reception Feb. 10 in Holmes Lounge.
The James M. Holobaugh Honor recognizes individuals and organizations that live and lead with integrity, engage diverse communities on issues relevant to LGBT equality, perform direct advocacy and service to the St. Louis metro community and incorporate education and dialogue as part of their practice.
The honor was named after WUSTL alumnus Jim Holobaugh (B.S., Engineering, 1990) who was a cadet in the campus Reserve Officer Training Corps program.
In 1989, after coming out as gay to his squad commander, Holobaugh was removed from the program and ordered to repay the U.S. Army for his scholarship.
Eventually succumbing to pressure from campus groups and LGBT rights organizations across the country — in addition to an impassioned response from WUSTL administrators — the Army reversed its decision. Holobaugh went on to travel across the country, engaging diverse groups in dialogue on issues of service and citizenship.
This year’s honorees are:
• Amy Cislo, Ph.D., lecturer in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in Arts & Sciences. Cislo is teaching a new course on transgender studies, examining the history of this field.
• Scott Emanuel, public education manager for the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri. Emanuel has a special interest in LGBT issues and community development.
• Katie Garcia, interim coordinator for LGBT Student Involvement and Leadership and graduate student at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Garcia has been a voice for the LGBTQ population in the classroom setting, to administrators at the Brown School, through the programs she has organized at the Brown School and in her position at the LGBT Student Involvement and Leadership office.
• Audrey King, a senior in Arts & Sciences. King has served on the executive boards of both Safe Zones and Pride Alliance and been heavily involved in both groups all four years on campus.
• Matt Zinter, graduate student in the Medical School. Zinter has been a driving force behind the LGBT Health Interest Group at the Medical School and developed and implemented a successful Mental Health Awareness Panel, which provides a forum for students to discuss important issues of mental health in the LGBT community with professional experts.