UU youth's activism for GLBT rights honored
Danielle Smith invited to dine with President Obama
By Michelle Bates Deakin
7.5.10
http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/168670.shtmlFor four years, Danielle Smith, 17, has steadily and tirelessly worked for safe schools and equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teens, never imagining her efforts would attract attention beyond her home in Bowdoin, Maine. But as she prepares to graduate from high school, the accolades have begun to pour in.
At a gala event in New York City on May 24, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), named Smith its Student Advocate of the Year. And on June 22, she will dine at the White House, a guest of President Barack Obama, who is hosting a dinner in honor of Gay Pride Month.
"A lot of the work I've done is really underground and unrecognized and a slow process," said Smith, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine. "This is a huge honor. I feel very fortunate I could be recognized."
