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My line of work and my bent for social activism require my attendance at more than a few fundraising galas each year. I have a standard-issue Eileen Fisher black jacket and tuxedo trousers that serve as my "gayla" uniform.

So a few weekends ago, I dusted off my costume and headed for the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) Carolinas dinner in Raleigh. HRC is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, and I've been a member since I "officially" came out in 1993.

I was initially excited about this year's dinner because actress Meredith Baxter was billed as the "special guest." You may recall that Baxter came out as a lesbian on the "Today" show with Matt Lauer last November. I joked to my friends that I was going to renew "family ties" with Elyse Keaton and that she would become my new girlfriend.

For the record, Baxter has a lovely partner who was at the gala with her, but she was on crutches that evening, and I was pretty sure I could take her.

I'm kidding -- sort of.

Baxter was warm and funny in her remarks as she mused that straight people never have to endure an "official" coming out. "They make you guess. Sure, they may drop hints, innuendos like the way they walk or talk," she said to raucous laughter.

She also brought the house down when she said that she owed an enormous debt of gratitude to Tiger Woods. Woods' well-documented domestic drama unfolded literally moments after Baxter's announcement and knocked her right out of the news cycle.

I appreciated that Baxter didn't claim to be a saint for the LGBT movement, and she noted that the real heroes of the evening were people such as Mary Elizabeth Lennon, a senior at Charlotte's Providence Day School who was honored with HRC's Trailblazer Equality Award for her efforts in petitioning her school for recognition of a Human Rights Alliance for LGBT and straight ally students.

My Triad pride was in high gear when the Equality Award for an Organization was presented to the Guilford Green Foundation. Founded in 1996, GGF raises money to provide grant funding for nonprofits that advance LGBT people and issues in the Piedmont.

Since its creation, GGF has provided more than $550,000 to organizations as diverse as Joseph's House, which operates an emergency assistance housing program for LGBT youths, and the UNCG Wellness Center's Safe Zone, which provides a supportive and comfortable environment for LGBT students on campus.

A couple of my personal heroes were honored at the gala: Joan and Dave Parker of Greensboro. They received the Legacy Award for their tireless work with PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) on behalf of trans awareness and inclusion.

The Parkers became involved with PFLAG a decade ago when their 40-year-old son told them that he was transgender and would be transitioning to a female identity.

Imagine having that discussion with your parents.

Gulp.

Instead of rejecting their child, the Parkers immediately began seeking support and education and were led to their local PFLAG chapter. As their involvement grew, Dave Parker helped form the nonprofit entity of PFLAG's Transgender Network and went on to serve on PFLAG's national board.

"This isn't about sex, it's about gender, and we learned how to support our transgender child," Dave Parker says.

When I think about Joan and Dave Parker, I recall the number of times I've seen them at local community events, such as PRIDE, sitting at a table in the broiling sun just waiting for an opportunity to talk to folks about LGBT issues. They do the unglamorous heavy lifting that it takes to advance understanding of complicated and emotional issues.

You may never see them on "Today," but their impact on the LGBT community is significant, and I was thrilled to congratulate them when they walked off the stage after receiving their award to a boisterous standing ovation.

It has been a good while since I've hugged my late parents, but I'm pretty sure the Parkers didn't mind being surrogates for the evening.

The HRC Carolinas Dinner encompasses North Carolina and South Carolina, and the fact that two of the three awards presented that evening headed west to Greensboro gave me enormous satisfaction and gratitude for my community.

So I left Raleigh without Meredith Baxter but with a boatload of pride for my homies.

And who knows, maybe Jodie Foster will be there next year.

Addison Ore is the executive director of the Triad Health Project and a local freelance writer whose monthly column, A Broad View, occasionally focuses on issues facing the Triad's LGBT community. Contact her at vaore@aol.com.