It can be hard enough to stand up for yourself in the face of adversity, let alone an entire society facing both cultural and legal discrimination. Atticus Circle is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing people with the opportunity to do just that, and its Awards Luncheon on Feb. 29 will recognize the bravery of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and their straight allies in fighting intolerance.

Founded in 2004 by Anne Wynne, Atticus Circle is named after Atticus Finch from the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Often seen as the universal figure for protecting the rights of others, Finch represents the ideals that Wynne sought to uphold through her organization. Following the passage of marriage discrimination amendments by 11 states that year, she explains that she was appalled at the margin by which these laws passed and the number of states that adopted them. Unable to find a group to join that would give straight people the opportunity to fight for equal rights for the LGBT community, she decided to start one of her own.

From that point on, the Austin-based Atticus Circle has grown to include supporters from all 50 states. Going on its second year, the Awards Luncheon honors those who have done something remarkable to stand up for LGBT rights. This year’s event offers attendees the unique opportunity to hear the story of Vincent Pryor, a former linebacker for Texas Christian University who fought his orientation for years before courageously coming out as an openly gay man in the sports world. An inspiring story, Pryor was largely met with acceptance from his fellow teammates. Free of the burden of his secret, he went on to play a legendary game that ultimately put TCU in the 1994 Independence Bowl and came to love and honor himself as a person.

“When I saw that he was a Texas boy and he’d gone to TCU and he’d played linebacker and came out and was accepted, I was like let’s find him,” Wynne said of her decision to feature Pryor’s journey. “It’s just such a great Texas story.”

The Luncheon will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel next Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The event will also honor Paul Boskind, of Deer Oaks Mental Health Associates, Amy and David Truong, the parents of Asher Brown, and the Appalachian State LGBT Group from Boone, North Carolina. Besides increasing awareness of inequity, the occasion will raise funds to fight employment discrimination against the LGBT community during the next session of the Texas Legislature.

“We know that in order to change the laws we have to change people’s minds, and the best way to try to change their minds is through their hearts,” Wynne expressed. “If they know the discrimination that LGBT people face, either as a partner or a parent or a child, then they’re more likely to want to do something about it.”

With the positive reception that this organization and event have received from the community, she believes that Texas is far more progressive than its legislators when it comes to social issues and that her group gives people the opportunity to prove just that through work with what she sees as one of the most crucial causes of this time period.

“I’ve always cared about how people treat each other,” she explained. “I was born about 15 seconds too late for the civil rights movement and I think this is the civil rights movement of our time. I want to be on the right side of history.”

Tickets for the Atticus Circle Awards Luncheon can be purchased at $150 per individual, or $50 per student.