Caleb Meets Kado

When the Man and Woman of the Year meet, the conversation turns to helping youth.

Caleb Laieski and Kado Stewart Man and Woman of the Year 2011

Photo by Cinthia Schmidt

When Caleb met Kado

Man and Woman of the Year make contact at photo shoot

Caleb Laieski and Kado Stewart both work to empower LGBT youth, but in such different ways that their paths have rarely crossed.

They've both attended some of the same community events, such as a Human and Equal Rights (H.E.R.O.) party last summer, where they each picked up an award. Laieski remembered seeing Stewart's distinctive faux-hawk hairstyle and dropping by her table to say hi.

But the first time they talked at any length was when they met before the photo shoot for the cover of this year's Man and Woman of the Year edition.

Before changing for the shoot, Stewart showed up wearing a black T-shirt with the slogan "Bullies Suck!" and Laieski noted that he had been given a copy of the same shirt.

A couple of hundred of the shirts were sold last summer at Flagstaff Pride as a benefit for OUTdoors!, Stewart said.

Laieski has not attended Stewart's OUTdoors! camp for LGBT youth, but said he has friends who have enjoyed the experience. Stewart suggested that Laieski speak at next summer's event and praised his work as an activist. "It's great you're doing it at such a young age," she told him.

Despite a lack of prior face time, Laieski noted that he and Stewart are Facebook friends. "I think we've ‘liked' each other's statuses," he said. Both said they use social media to promote their projects.

By the time the photo shoot ended, the duo were exchanging phone numbers to make contact for possible future collaborations.

For the cover shoot, Laieski and Stewart posed for Echo Magazine's photographer Cinthia Schmidt on the grounds of the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, a Phoenix landmark set on 39 acres that include gardens and swimming pools.

Known as "the jewel of the desert," the Biltmore was built in 1929 as one of the first resorts in Phoenix. Its design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, who served as a consulting architect on the project. Since opening, the Biltmore's guests have included celebrities and U.S. presidents.