The names of four community leaders will be added to the Harvey Milk Promenade Equality Plaza in Downtown this weekend to recognize their efforts in public service and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.

Each recipient will be given a plaque in the plaza, which includes the gay pride flag and a concrete soapbox for Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.

The plaza was erected more than 10 years ago, and each year new names are added to recognize local leaders who have advocated for equal rights, AIDS research, historic preservation and other causes.

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“Our 2024 honorees have exemplified the dedication to their communities that Harvey Milk embodied, positively impacting the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” Councilmember Mary Zendejas, who represents the area, said in a statement.

The ceremony is a week before the city’s Pride celebration and parade in honor of the LGBTQ+ community.

This year the honorees include:

  • Ricky D. Dockery, who has advocated for the LGBTQ+ community for nearly four decades, promoting inclusive comprehensive sexuality education and serving on various boards and commissions.
  • Sayon Syprasoeuth, a refugee from Cambodia who is a strong advocate for equality and justice for the LGBTQ+ community. Specifically, he has advocated for issues impacting the community such as racial equity, reproductive justice and mentoring youth around issues of gender identity.
  • Gina Smith, who has received multiple honors for public service. Smith was a Foundation Member of St. Mary Medical Center and has dedicated her service to advocating for the needs of HIV-affected patients.
  • Queen Linda Hollins, an elder queer Black indigenous healer and the founder and director of the Earthlodge Center for Transformation.

The ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Harvey Milk Promenade Park, 212 E. Third St.