Community members, advocates and businesses gathered in the Mid-South to honour the people helping LGBTQ+ communities thrive. The 2026 Focus Awards recognised Jasmine Tasaki, The Pumping Station and Rev. Edith “Edie” Love for advocacy, bridge-building and pioneering leadership, shining a warm spotlight on the relationships that keep inclusive local business moving.
Three honourees, three distinct contributions
- Advocacy recognised: Jasmine Tasaki received the Advocacy of the Year Award for her community-focused work with WeCareTN.
- Connections celebrated: The Pumping Station won the Bridge Builder Award for bringing different communities together.
- A legacy honoured: Rev. Edith “Edie” Love received the Buddy Douglas Pioneer Award.
- Community at the centre: The ceremony brought together chamber members, business leaders, advocates and supporters.
A lively night for Mid-South LGBTQ+ business
The strongest message from the 2026 Focus Awards was simple: community work is often built quietly, through relationships, persistence and showing up. According to the MidSouth LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the celebration gathered local members, organisations and supporters to recognise the people strengthening the region's LGBTQ+ community.
There was plenty of warmth behind the formal awards. Events like this can feel both celebratory and practical, offering a chance for people to meet, reconnect and put faces to the organisations working across advocacy and inclusion.
The wider Focus Awards programme provides a public platform for recognising achievements across the Mid-South, while the chamber adds a clear business and community perspective. Together, they underline how closely social progress and local enterprise can overlap.
Jasmine Tasaki's advocacy earns a major spotlight
Jasmine Tasaki, of WeCareTN, was named Advocacy of the Year. The award acknowledges work that creates tangible community impact, rather than simply making noise around an issue.
That distinction matters. Advocacy is frequently associated with campaigns and public statements, but it also depends on sustained organising, useful support and the patience to build trust. The chamber's announcement presents Tasaki's work as an example of that broader, people-first approach.
The recognition also fits a wider shift in LGBTQ+ business awards, which increasingly celebrate influence beyond the workplace. Across the sector, awards programmes are highlighting individuals and organisations that combine professional leadership with community responsibility, as seen in other regional Pride and business honours.
The Pumping Station wins for building bridges
The Pumping Station received the Bridge Builder Award, recognising its role in connecting communities. In a region with varied organisations, audiences and priorities, that kind of work can be the difference between isolated efforts and a stronger shared network.
Bridge-building may sound gentle, but it takes real effort. It means creating welcoming spaces, encouraging conversation and finding common ground when communities don't always move at the same pace. The award suggests that The Pumping Station has made that connecting role visible and valuable.
For local businesses and community groups, the lesson is useful. Partnerships don't need to begin with a grand campaign; sometimes they start with a shared event, a referral or a simple introduction. Those small links can gradually make the wider LGBTQ+ business network feel more open and easier to navigate.
Rev. Edie Love's pioneering legacy is honoured
Rev. Edith “Edie” Love received the Buddy Douglas Pioneer Award, a distinction reserved for work that has helped shape the community over time. Her recognition brings a historical dimension to an evening otherwise focused on current advocacy and collaboration.
Pioneer awards matter because they connect today's activity with the people who helped make it possible. They also offer a reminder that progress is rarely sudden. It tends to arrive through years of leadership, persistence and care, often before wider institutions are ready to acknowledge it.
That sense of continuity is especially important at community celebrations. New initiatives may grab attention, but lasting change needs memory as well. Honouring Love ensures the evening looked not only at what is happening now, but also at the foundations beneath it.
Why these awards matter beyond one evening
The MidSouth LGBT Chamber of Commerce positions its work around supporting LGBTQ+ businesses, professionals and allies, and its awards reflect that wider mission. The chamber's own materials and related events show an emphasis on connection, visibility and participation, rather than recognition for its own sake.
There are practical benefits, too. Award ceremonies can help independent organisations gain exposure, introduce potential partners and encourage people to become more involved. The nomination process also gives community members a way to point towards work that deserves attention, whether it's highly visible or happening behind the scenes.
For the winners, the applause is welcome. For everyone else, the event is a nudge to look closer at the groups doing steady local work. After all, a healthier community isn't built by one headline name; it's built by many people choosing to contribute.
A celebration with momentum
The 2026 Focus Awards leave the Mid-South with a clear trio of themes: advocate for people, connect across communities and respect the leaders who came before. That's a hopeful combination, and a particularly useful one for organisations planning their next year of work.
The evening's real success may be measured after the lights go down, in the conversations that continue and the partnerships that begin. As one community reflection put it, gatherings like this show what becomes possible when people come together.
Small recognition can create surprisingly large ripples, especially when it encourages others to get involved.
It's a celebration of local leadership, but also an invitation to keep building.
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