PRIDE 2025 - Featured Stories: 2025 Models of Hope Honorees

Since 2006, the Vincent R. Johnson Models of Hope Awards have celebrated individuals and organizations that embody resilience, leadership, and advocacy within New Mexico’s LGBTQ+ community. This year’s honorees—Gemma Rhoid, Lee Ignatius King, and UNM Truman Health Services—represent a powerful spectrum of personal triumph, creative expression, and life-saving care. Learn more about this year’s honorees.

Photo credit: Ahhlmaa

Gemmarhoid: Finding Power in Performance and Community

For Gemmarhoid, drag is more than an art form—it’s a lifeline. Growing up in an abusive household, Gemma found solace in music, immersing herself in bands, metal shows, and open mic nights. “Music was truly my escape,” she shares. “I learned to be independent at a young age and how to find my way. I shouldn’t have had to, but I did, and I survived.”

Her journey toward healing and self-discovery found new momentum through drag. “I’ve always been queer and I’ve always been in search of community,” Gemma explains. “It wasn’t until I found drag, though, that I truly felt connected with the wider queer community.” Through performance, she creates spaces of joy and belonging. “Getting to make someone feel comfortable at a drag bar is one of my favorite feelings.”

​To today’s LGBTQIA+ youth, Gemma offers heartfelt advice: “If you have [community] at home, that’s a blessing. If you don’t, just know that you are never alone. Discovering yourself takes time, and so does finding your people. Just keep going, keep creating, keep speaking your truth, keep loving.”

Photo credit: Heaven & Hell Photography

Lee Ignatius King: Embracing Identity and Inspiring Others

Lee Ignatius King’s path to community leadership began with a leap into drag in 2023. “Drag exposed me to more people within my community,” Lee recalls. “I realized I could use who I was as a performer to help connect more people within the community and use my voice and my performances to speak out against what is happening to the Trans, nonbinary and Queer community.”

Raised in a conservative Catholic household, Lee navigated a complex landscape of gender expectations and limited representation. “I knew I wasn’t a girl early on,” Lee shares. “I would fantasize and picture myself in the mirror with facial hair.” Without the language or support to articulate their identity, Lee waited until after their parents' passing to come out.
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Now, as a nonbinary transmasculine individual, Lee finds inspiration in the courage of today’s LGBTQ youth. “They are brave in ways I never thought possible when I was a kid,” Lee says. “They know who they are and fight for what they believe.” To them, Lee offers this wisdom: “It’s never too late to be you. Life is a journey. It is your chance to try different things until you find what truly fits with who you are and how you want to express yourself.”

UNM Truman Health Services: Providing Inclusive Care and Support

UNM Truman Health Services (THS) stands as a beacon of comprehensive, compassionate care for New Mexico’s LGBTQ+ community. Specializing in HIV treatment and prevention, THS offers a wide array of services, including primary and specialty care, medication adherence counseling, mental health support, and substance use treatment. Their integrated approach ensures that patients receive holistic care tailored to their unique needs.

Recognizing the importance of affirming healthcare, THS provides specialized services for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, regardless of HIV status. Their commitment to gender-affirming, high-quality care is evident in their inclusive practices and supportive environment. “Our goal is to provide gender-affirming, high-quality care, free from discrimination, that is affordable,” THS states. They also offer rapid HIV and hepatitis C testing, pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, and a specialty pharmacy dedicated to patient privacy and dignity.

By addressing both medical and social determinants of health, UNM Truman Health Services exemplifies the transformative impact of inclusive, patient-centered care.

Join us in celebrating these remarkable honorees, including our 2024 honorees, at the Models of Hope Gala Brunch on August 30, 2025, at La Fonda del Bosque, at 11:30 am. Their stories of resilience, creativity, and compassion inspire us all to build a more inclusive and supportive community. Tickets are available now at myprideonline.com/models-of-hope.

For the full Q&A of our honorees, pick up the latest issue of PRIDE & Equality Magazine throughout the community or order a digital copy HERE.