By Gary Barlow

Staff writer

Thirteen individuals and organizations, including the late Mayor Harold Washington and former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, have been selected as 2007 inductees to the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

The inductees were announced Sept. 12 by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on LGBT Issues and are to be honored at an induction ceremony Oct. 18 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Other inductees include the late Jeffrey McCourt, founding publisher of the original Windy City Times, Robbin Burr and Patrick Sheahan, who guided the Center on Halsted to completion, and physicians David Blatt and David Moore, pioneers in providing HIV and other medical services to gays in Chicago.

The Chicago institution is the only known municipally sponsored GLBT hall of fame in the world.

This year’s inductees are:

Dr. David Blatt, 56, and Dr. David Moore, 57, partners, groundbreaking medical practitioners and advocates in HIV/AIDS care, known for their personal attention to their patients;

Robbin Burr, 53, for her pioneering work in founding corporate marketing campaigns dedicated to gaining the loyalty of GLBT consumers and for her leadership as the executive director of the Center on Halsted;

Tarrina Dikes, 50, for her tireless work on behalf of GLBT organizations and events, including Howard Brown Health Center, Gay Games VII, POW WOW, the Lesbian Leadership Council and Affinity;

Martin Gapshis, 60, president of Progress Printing, for long-standing service to the city of Chicago, including the City’s green initiatives, Lakefront Supportive Housing, Chicago International Film Festival, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the NAMES Project and the Center on Halsted.

Jeffrey E. McCourt (1955–2007), founding publisher of Windy City Times, award-winning journalist, businessperson and activist, for helping to win mainstream respect and political victories for Chicago’s GLBT communities, including passage of the City’s 1988 Human Rights Ordinance.

Dr. Carlos T. Mock, 51, physician, author and advocate, who has helped found Latino community organizations and has raised crucial funds for a variety of other organizations.

Chilli Pepper, one of Chicago’s most celebrated entertainers, for making herself an early symbol of gender diversity and using her visibility to bring awareness of HIV/AIDS issues to the public.

Karen C. Sendziak, 50, for 20 years of documenting and preserving the history of Chicago’s GLBT communities and advancing GLBT culture through her work with Gerber/Hart Library.

Patrick Sheahan, 51, for his outstanding record of civic, business, banking, education and GLBT community leadership, including his invaluable efforts in building the Center on Halsted.

Vera Washington, 55, promoter, HIV/AIDS counselor and youth service coordinator, for co-founding Executive Sweet Inc., which provides opportunities for lesbians of color to build a strong community network, for her HIV/AIDS awareness efforts and for her work with GLBT youth.

American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), Chicago Chapter, for 15 years serving as a voice for GLBT veterans in the Chicago area and providing moral, financial and social support to GLBT veterans.

Chicago Games, Inc., for hosting Gay Games VII in Chicago, which brought GLBT athletes and cultural participants together from around the world and highlighted Chicago’s support for the GLBT communities.

A Real Read, an African American GLBT performance ensemble that from 1996 to 2002 performed original poems, prose and plays that gave voice to the often-silenced black gay community while offering performances that reflected the universal.

Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, 60, a prominent supporter of GLBT rights and marriage equality throughout her political career, who was the first U.S. Senator to appoint a GLBT liaison and, while in the Senate, firmly opposed the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Harold Washington (1922–1987), who as mayor of Chicago promoted and facilitated GLBT political participation and empowerment, which laid the groundwork for passage of the City’s 1988 Human Rights Ordinance. He appointed the first mayoral liaison to the GLBT communities, was the first Chicago mayor to headline a gay rights rally and established the City’s first official Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues (forerunner of today’s Advisory Council on LGBT Issues) with an openly lesbian staff director.