John Adler was a longtime state senator who served one term in Congress before he lost a re-election bid last year.
Garden State Equality says as chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee, the 51-year-old Democrat helped pass laws to ensure the civil rights of gays and lesbians, including a civil union law to recognize their relationships.
The first person to receive the award in June is to be Barbra Casbar Siperstein, an activist who focuses on the rights of transgendered people.
