Diversity Honors on Saturday, March 9, at 7 p.m., has announced that Emmy, Tony, and Grammy Award-winning, and Golden Globe-nominated actor, singer, director, composer, playwright, and activist Billy Porter will be receiving a Harvey Milk Champion Medal.
The foundation will also bestow Harvey Milk Medals to honor music pioneer, multiple Grammy Award-winner, and LGBTQ activist Belinda Carlisle and Native American (Seminole/Choctaw) award-winning singer/songwriter, producer, and actor Spencer Battiest. Entrepreneur Mark Hunter will receive The Pride Center at Equality Park Alan Schubert Award. Tatiana Williams and the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida will receive Diversity Honors awards. Tickets are $250 per person. To purchase tickets, go to DiversityHonors.org.
“Diversity Honors celebrates the vision of Harvey Milk and the dream for a better tomorrow filled with the hope for equality and a world without hate,” said Susan Renneisen, vice president of community affairs and special events for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, in an interview with Chicago's Very Own WGN9. “We are honored to produce this event, in support of the Harvey Milk Foundation and The Pride Center at Equality Park, which recognizes those who are transforming lives by living authentically and advancing inclusiveness.”
The event will begin with a cocktail reception featuring entertainment by Miss Bouvèé. Dinner in the Grand Ballroom will immediately follow with entertainment by singer/songwriter Debby Holiday. The celebration continues with the Stoli “Spirit of Change” after-party poolside at The Guitar Hotel where guests can look forward to Stoli espresso martinis, mermaids, and magicians. Stoli Vodka is a longtime sponsor of Diversity Honors. The vodka leader will launch its “Spirit of Change” campaign in celebration of transformative people such as this year’s award recipients.
Diversity Honors is a collaborative effort that will continue to keep South Florida on the international stage of LGBTQ rights and activism in honor of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States who was assassinated shortly after winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and has since gone on to become an icon and beacon of light for the global LGBTQ community. This year marks the 46th anniversary of Harvey Milk’s historic election.
Over the years, Diversity Honors has paid tribute to an impressive roster of honorees including civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, president and founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation and co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America with Cesar Chavez, Judy and Dennis Shepard, Bollywood star Celina Jaitly, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Gay-Straight Alliance, transgender YouTube viral inspiration Ryland Whittington, transgender teen activist Jazz Jennings, singer/actress Deborah Cox, drag TV star and entrepreneur Latrice Royale, Judge Rand Hoch, Phill Wilson, founder of the Black AIDS Institute, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Congressman Ted Deutch, and Mayor Dean Trantalis, among others.
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