The Citizen of the year award is presented to a person who has contributed freely to making the gay community a better place to live. This contribution, although not necessarily publically acclaimed, is one that allows each of us to move through life more freely and with more companionship among our neighbours and aquaintances.

John DeSmit was a man at ease with life and who socialized freely with everyone around him. He loved having a good time and demanded nothing from those he encountered. He showed the unaware that gay people are worth caring about. He was himself cared about by many people from all walks of life and his untimely death was a tragic loss to all who knew him.