Collections by Michelle Brown WSG Phil Esteem/2017 Esteem Awards

On Saturday July 1st Chicago will again host the ESTEEM Awards recognizing a cross section of leadership in the LGBTQ community. Today we are talking with the founder and force behind these annual awards Philip Esteem.

Phil is proud African American Gay Male. Although he was never formally trained as a writer or journalist Phil believes he was led to share other people’s experiences.

In 1998, he started a ZINE called Legends Statements and Stars.  Legends Statements and Stars focused primarily on the ball scenewhere people, especially youth "walk" or compete for trophies and prizes at events known as balls..

In 2000, he started ESTEEM newsletter, a ZINE for the greater gay community. In 2004 Phil was approached by JC Cole about joining forces with her for a website she created called PrideIndex.com.  PrideIndex is a lifestyles and entertainment site for gay communities of color.

In 2006, he joined the Windy City Black Pride Gay Pride Awards Committee where he successfully created interest for the Pride Awards for 2 years. He decided to step out on my own in 2007 and the Esteem Awards were born.

The ESTEEM awards honor some of the best and brightest LGBTQ citizens, organizations and supporters from across the country. The honorees represent a who’s who among people whose activism, service and creativity have made significant contributions to our community.  Past honorees include GLAAD, The Lambda Literary Foundation, Mandy Carter, The NAACP, HRC, Keith Boykin, Mandy Carter,  Monica Roberts, The Schomberg Museum,  Sampson McCormick, The Ruth Ellis Center and other LGBTQ activists

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