Jimmy Gruender

Echo Hall of Fame 2011 Jimmy Gruender

When Jimmy Gruender joined the board of the 1 Voice LGBT Community Center, he said that there was no option but to keep the place open despite the organization's budget crisis. In the months that followed, he took a leading role in stabilizing the center and moving it to a new location. It's the latest in a series of Gruender's community efforts, which have included working with Phoenix Pride, the Human and Equal Rights Organizers (H.E.R.O.) and the Right to Marry Walk.

BACKGROUND:: Gruender. 37, grew up in Missouri and Texas and graduated from high school in Prairie Home, Mo. He met Paul Roark in 1993 and the men have been together ever since. They moved to Arizona in 2002.

ACHIEVEMENTS:: "Volunteering has been my No. 1 priority," Gruender said. He said serving on the board of Phoenix Pride for five years was his path to activism. He's walked the Right to Marry Walk the last three summers and is the event's co-director. Last year, he joined H.E.R.O's fight for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He was arrested during a sit-in outside Sen. John McCain's local office, and later confronted the senator at a town hall. Gruender joined DADT efforts at the Capitol. He's also been involved with the local chapter of the Human Rights Campaign. He recently stepped down as regional representative on the board of InterPride. He was Echo Magazine's Man of the Year in 2010.

FUTURE:: Gruender said he would be open to serving on the community center board for another year. He's also making plans for the Right to Marry Walk in 2012, which will include campaigns in three regions of the state to mark Arizona's centennial.

PHILOSPHY:: "Make the world a better place than when you came into it," Gruender said, noting that an activist's job is to put himself out of business. "Now we're really fighting for the icing on the cake. We've forgotten how far we've come."