Celebration of Courage is Outright International’s annual awards and gala. It is an evening of inspiration and community in support of human rights for LGBTIQ people everywhere. Celebration of Courage highlights Outright’s achievements and elevates and advances activists and our allies leading the charge to gain equal rights for LGBTIQ people in their countries and around the world.

Outright’s 28th annual Celebration of Courage will take place in New York City at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers on Monday, June 3, 2024, from 6:00 to 10:30 pm ET.

Program

Outright’s Celebration of Courage audience attracts LGBTIQ individuals and allies who care about rights and equality. Celebration of Courage welcomes some of the best and the brightest from the civil society, media, politics, business, and finance sectors. These stakeholders are Outright’s top-level supporters and who are among the world’s and New York City’s most influential philanthropists, industry, and civic leaders. Many guests have international connections and are deeply attuned to world affairs.

Guests of Outright’s Celebration of Courage will join a Welcome Reception at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers, New York City, on a glass-enclosed terrace with an outdoor veranda access overlooking the Hudson River and enjoy a panoramic view of the Garden State, enjoying a picturesque summer sunset. During the Welcome Reception, guests will be able to network and bid online via mobile device on items featured in the event’s Silent Auction.

Transitioning into the Dinner & Program sections of the evening, guests exit the outdoor veranda and enter the dining room. Outright Board Directors and staff will welcome guests to dinner. Following dinner, Outright will present the recipients of Felipa de Souza Award, Outstanding Award and Outspoken Award. In the spirit of giving, during this time, guests will also be invited to participate in a Live Auction and Paddle Raise to raise critical support for Outright’s lifesaving work. Following dinner and the awards, guests will be invited to attend a Closing Reception.

Event Schedule (PM, ET)

6:00 to 7:00: Welcome Reception, Silent Auction (indoor and outdoor, weather permitting)
7:00 to 9:00: Seated Dinner, Program, Live Auction and Live Ask (indoor)
9:00 to 10:30: Closing Reception, Silent Auction (indoor and outdoor, weather permitting)

Host Committee

Maria Sjödin NY, USA · Roxanna Carrillo NY, USA · Gigi Chao Hong Kong · Lysanne Charles St. Maarten, VI · Louise Chernin WA, USA · Darrel Cummings CA, USA · Julie Dorf CA, USA · Martin Dunn NY, USA · Lenny Emson Ottawa, CA · Cynthia Alison Fortlage London, UK · John Heilman CA, USA · Jeff Holland London, UK · Fabrice Houdart NY, USA · Hosh Ibrahim London, UK · Micheal Ighodaro DC, USA · Lanaya Irvin NY, USA · Selam Kebrom DC, USA · Camille Massey NY, USA · Jeff Natter WA, USA · Pedro Pina London, UK · Jennifer C. Pizer CA, USA · Suzanne Rotondo PA, USA · Russell Roybal CA, USA · Suki Sandhu OBE London, UK · Aalap Shah NY, USA · Kathy Teo Singapore · Elliot Vaughn London, UK

Awards

Felipa de Souza Award recognizes the courage and activism of grassroots groups and individuals to survive and thrive in the face of incredible odds and tremendous challenges.
Outspoken Award recognizes LGBTIQ groups or individuals, and allies, that contribute to advanced awareness and equality for LGBTIQ people.
Outstanding Award pays tribute to special individuals, companies, and/or organizations that have contributed to the advancement of human rights for LGBTIQ people.

2024 Honorees

Felipa de Souza Award: Mitini Nepal

Mitini Nepal (MN) was established in 2006 with a vision to build a peaceful, prosperous society where sexual and gender minorities’ communities can live with self-esteem and dignity while enjoying human rights without any discrimination, violence, assault, and fear. It was established by the Nepalese lesbian couple, Laxmi Ghalan & Meera Bajracharya, in 2002 when homosexuality was not decriminalized. The core function of Mitini Nepal is to bring awareness to the general public through rights-based advocacy within a traditional society to the general public by positively changing attitudes toward gender and sexual minorities.

Outspoken Award: Billy Porter

Outright is proud to honor Billy Porter, an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award-winning actor, singer, director, producer, composer, playwright, and activist, for his commitment to using his voice for positive change and advocating for a more just and equitable world. His influence and activism have inspired many and helped pave the way for greater acceptance and representation in the entertainment industry and beyond. Billy Porter has made significant contributions to the entertainment industry, earning accolades and acclaim for his remarkable talent and dedication to social causes. Porter's impact extends beyond the stage and screen as he continues to use his platform to champion LGBTQ+ rights and promote inclusivity and acceptance. His work in projects like FX’s Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated drama Pose and the Broadway musical Kinky Boots has not only showcased his immense talent but also highlighted important social issues.

Photo credit: Meredith Truax

Outstanding Award: Adobe Foundation

The Adobe Foundation creates positive change through support for creative and digital literacy, social equity and opportunity, and active engagement in the communities where they live and work. The Adobe Foundation is a private foundation created and funded by Adobe Inc. Outright’s award recognizes the Adobe Foundation’s dedication to fostering positive change through the promotion of creative and digital literacy, social equity and opportunity, and active community engagement - including its Equity and Advancement Initiative (EAI) to address systemic barriers to opportunity and advance social equity within Adobe’s businesses and communities.

Event Host

Outright is thrilled to announce the enthusiastic return of our 2023 Celebration of Courage Host: the incredible BeBe Zahara Benet!

BeBe Zahara Benet is equal parts bold, beautiful, and business-minded. Simply stated: The international recording artist, TV personality, activist and pop culture provocateur breaks the entertainment mold. BeBe is best known as the inaugural winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the star of TLC’s Dragnificent and the subject of the award-winning documentary Being BeBe. With BeBe returning to the stage, our evening is guaranteed to be inspirational, joining our communities in support of human rights for LGBTIQ people everywhere.

Photo credit: Alvan Washington

Special Guests

Mira Bajracharya (she/her)
Co-Founder & Board Member
Mitini Nepal

BETTY

Alyson Palmer, Amy Ziff, Elizabeth Ziff

Wilson Cruz (he/him)
Actor

Claybourne Elder (he/him)
Actor and Writer

Brita Filter (she/her)
National Co-Chair of Drag Out the Vote

Laxmi Ghalan (they/them)
Founder and President
Mitini Nepal

Daniel K. Isaac (he/him)
Actor and Writer

(photo credit: Austin Ruffin)

Julie J (she/her)
Drag Queen

Sarita K.C. (she/her)
Executive Director
Mitini Nepal

Amy White (she/her)
Global Head of CSR
Adobe
Executive Director
Adobe Foundation

Questions about Celebration of Courage? Please contact:

Chandler Bazemore (he/him)
Senior Development Manager
Outright International
216 East 45th Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Office: +1 (212) 430-6057
Email: CBazemore@OutrightInternational.org

Sponsorship

Levels

Event Sponsors

Diamond

Platinium

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Copper

Sponsorship Levels & Benefits

Sponsorship Levels (USD)

Sponsorship Benefits

Questions about Sponsorship

For more information on how to sponsor Celebration of Courage, please contact:

Elise Colomer-Cheadle (she/her)
Director of Development
Outright International
216 East 45th Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Mobile: +1 (917) 225-1288
Email: EColomer@OutrightInternational.org

Tables

Become a Table Captain

Become a TABLE CAPTAIN of Celebration of Courage

Table Captain Levels (USD) - Diplomat: $25,000 | Ambassador: $10,000 | Attaché: $6,500

To become a table captain, please contact our Senior Development Manager Chandler Bazemore (he/him).

Ambassador

Martin Dunn
Micheal Ighodaro & Jirair Ratevosian
Lanaya Irvin & Janessa Cox-Irvin
Kevin Jennings & Thomas Fitzgerald
Russell Roybal
Suki Sandhu
Josue Santiago

Attachè

Michelle Blankenship
Jennifer Craighead Carey
Julie Dorf
John Heilman
Fabrice Houdart
Hosh Ibrahim
L. Camille Massey & Gillie Holme
Jennifer Pizer & Doreena Wong
Suzanne Rotondo
Kathy Teo
Elliot Vaughn

Diplomat

Diplomat $25,000

Benefit	Description	Diplomat $25,000
Hospitality	All-inclusive tickets	One (1) UVIP table, 10 tickets
	Placement for dinner	Yes, Premiere
	Premium wine or champagne at table	Yes
	Access to VIP cocktail reception	Yes
	Partial sponsorship of advocate table	Yes
Advertising & Promotion	Onstage acknowledgment during the event	Yes
	Name on event e-invitations; event website	Yes, Premiere placement
	Name on event signage	Yes, Premiere placement
	Name on event program/menu (Commitment deadline: April 30, 2024, 11:59pm ET)	Yes, Premiere placement
	Name inclusion in on-screen slide at event (Commitment deadline: May 15, 2024, 11:59pm ET)	Yes, Premium placement
	Acknowledgment as event Table Captain on social media (LI, FB, Twitter, Insta)	Pre- and post-event posts (1, Premiere placement, all platforms)
	Listing on Outright’s event web page as event Table Captain	Yes
	Listing in Outright’s 2024 Annual Report as a Supporter (level commensurate with total giving)	Yes

Ambassador

Ambassador $10,000

Benefit	Description	Ambassador $10,000
Hospitality	All-inclusive tickets	One (1) UVIP table, 10 tickets
	Placement for dinner	Yes, Prominent
	Premium wine or champagne at table	Yes
	Access to VIP cocktail reception	Yes
	Partial sponsorship of advocate table	Yes
Advertising & Promotion	Onstage acknowledgment during the event	Yes
	Name on event e-invitations; event website	Yes, Prominent placement
	Name on event signage	Yes, Prominent placement
	Name on event program/menu (Commitment deadline: April 30, 2024, 11:59pm ET)	No
	Name inclusion in on-screen slide at event (Commitment deadline: May 15, 2024, 11:59pm ET)	Yes, Prominent placement
	Acknowledgment as event Table Captain on social media (LI, FB, Twitter, Insta)	Pre- and post-event posts (1, Prominent placement, all platforms)
	Listing on Outright’s event web page as event Table Captain	Yes
	Listing in Outright’s 2024 Annual Report as a Supporter (level commensurate with total giving)	Yes

Attaché

Attaché $6,500

Benefit	Description	Attaché $6,500
Hospitality	All-inclusive tickets	One (1) table, 10 tickets
	Placement for dinner	Yes
	Premium wine or champagne at table	No
	Access to VIP cocktail reception	Yes
	Partial sponsorship of advocate table	No
Advertising & Promotion	Onstage acknowledgment during the event	Yes
	Name on event e-invitations; event website	Yes
	Name on event signage	Yes
	Name on event program/menu (Commitment deadline: April 30, 2024, 11:59pm ET)	No
	Name inclusion in on-screen slide at event (Commitment deadline: May 15, 2024, 11:59pm ET)	Yes
	Acknowledgment as event Table Captain on social media (LI, FB, Twitter, Insta)	Pre- and post-event posts (1, LI, FB)
	Listing on Outright’s event web page as event Table Captain	Yes
	Listing in Outright’s 2024 Annual Report as a Supporter (level commensurate with total giving)	Yes

Auction

A charity auction is a fundraising event in which guests bid to win auction items and packages. The highest bid wins the item, and the host charity receives the proceeds. Auction item donors may receive a charitable deduction for the item donated (check with your accountant), and the branding benefits listed below. Outright reserves the discretion to place items in either auction.

About the Auction

Outright’s Celebration of Courage Live and Silent Auctions are highly anticipated annual activations. The Live Auction is run at the event during dinner by a renown auctioneer. The silent auction is hosted online on Givergy.

Hundreds of guests will interact with your corporate brand and item onsite, and thousands of stakeholders will see your brand and item via digital promotions through the event’s multichannel marketing campaign (web, social media, email, event digital program, auction item catalogue, blog). We invite you to participate in the Celebration of Courage Live and Silent Auctions:

To qualify for placement in the Live Auction, item must have a fair market value of $5,000 or higher
To qualify for the Silent Auction, item must have a fair market value of $350 to $4,999
Outright reserves the discretion to place items in either auction

2024 Live Auction Sponsors

Hill Town Tours
Hurtigruten
Luke Evans
Soho House

2024 Silent Auction Sponsors

Alaska Airlines
Balenciaga
Buff
Care With Pride
Cedar Lakes Estate
Critical Role Foundation
Eargasm
Electronic Arts
e.l.f. Cosmetics
Freiman Stoltzfus Gallery
Garage
Gillie Holme - artist & object maker
Hard Rock Heals Foundation
Hotel 850

Inspirato
Kohen Educational Services
Mark Fisher Fitness
Microsoft
MillerKnoll
Mythical
The National LGBTQ Taskforce
Ooni
Pals Socks
Procter & Gamble
Tipsy Elves
Warner Music Group
waterdrop
Winspire

Auction Donor Benefits

AUCTION DONOR BENEFITS

Brand and product visibility with 500+ tastemakers at the event through stage presentation, event signage, and auction station signage, and platform
Name and/or logo inclusion in event promotions, including final invitation, via email, social media
Listing on Celebration of Courage event web page, Auction page
Full-screen ad at the event, Auction section (Commitment deadline: April 15, 2024, 11:59pm ET; artwork deadline: April 30)
Listing in the 2024 Outright Annual Report as Supporter (at a level commensurate with the item’s market value or cumulative giving)

Questions About the Auction?

Questions about participating in Celebration of Courage auctions? Please contact:

Andrew Schlager (he/him)
Corporate and Development Associate
Outright International
216 East 45th Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Office: +1 (212) 430-6057
Email: ASchlager@OutrightInternational.org

Unable to attend Celebration of Courage? Make a donation.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUTRIGHT WITH A DONATION to accelerate our work around the world! Donations are 100% tax-deductible in accordance with US IRS regulations. If your institution provides matches, you may be able to double or triple your impact!

Questions about donating to Outright? Please contact:

Cäcille Ealy (she/her)
Development Officer
Outright International
216 East 45th Street, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Office: +1 (212) 430-6057
Email: CEaly@OutrightInternational.org

Make a Donation

Information and FAQs

Past Honorees

1994 Felipa de Souza Award, Juan Pablo Ordoñez, Colombia; ABIGALE, South Africa; Lepa Mladjenovic, Belgrade
1995 Felipa de Souza Award, The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Group (TGLRC), Australia; Anjaree, Thailand; Luiz Mott, Brazil
1996 No Presentation
1997 Felipa de Souza Award, Demet Demir, Turkey; Genc Xhelaj, Albania; The Sister Namibia Collective, Namibia; Wilfredo Valencia Palacios, El Salvador (Honorable Mention)
1998 Felipa de Souza Award, Ciculo Cultural Gay (CCG), Mexico; Dr. Tal Jarus-Hakak, Israel; Dédé Oetomo, Indonesia; Nancy Cárdenas (1934-1994), Mexico (Honorary Posthumous Award); Carlos Jáuregui (1958-1996), Argentina (Honorary Posthumous Award)
1999 Felipa de Souza Award, Aung Myo Min, Burma; Prudence Mabele, South Africa; Kiri Kiri and Chingu Sai, Korea; Simon Nkoli (1957-1996), South Africa (Honorary Posthumous Award)
2000 Felipa de Souza Award, Dejan Nebrigic (1970-1999), Serbia (Honorary Posthumous Award); Ditshwanelo - The Botswana Centre for Human Rights, Botswana; Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), USA; William Hernandez, El Salvador
2001 Felipa de Souza Award, Companions on a Journey and Women’s Support Group, Sri Lanka; Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, Jamaica; All-Sexuals and Gays, Jamaica; Luis Gauthier (1950-2000), Chile (Honorary Posthumous Award)
2002 Felipa de Souza Award, Elizabeth Calvet, Brazil (Honorary Posthumous Award); Marta Lucia Tamayo Rincon, Marta Lucia Alvarez Giraldo and Alba Nelly Montoya, Colombia; Cui Zi En, Chian Maher Sabry, Egypt
2003 Felipa de Souza Award, Lohana Berkins, Argentina
2004 Felipa de Souza Award, Gender/Sexuality Rights Association of Taiwan
2005 Felipa de Souza Award, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ); OutSpoken Award: The Honorable Mary Robinson, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and 7th President of Ireland; Special Recognition Award: Julie Dorf, Founder, OutRight Action International, USA
2006 Felipa de Souza Award, Rauda Morcos, Palestine; Special Recognition Award, Andrew Tobias, USA, Paul Albert, USA
2007 Felipa de Souza Award, Blue Diamond Society, Nepal
2008 Felipa de Souza Award, Iranian Queer Organization, Iran; Andres Ignacio Rivera Duarte, Chile; OutSpoken Award, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa; Special Recognition Award, IBM Corporation, USA
2009 Felipa de Souza Award, Helem, USA; Special Recognition Award, Microsoft, USA
2010 Felipa de Souza Award, Colombia Diversa, Colombia; OutSpoken Award, Michel Sidibé, Former UNAIDS Executive Director, Mali; Special Recognition Award, Representative Barney Frank, USA
2011 Felipa de Souza Award, The LGBT Centre Mongolia; Special Recognition Award, Jeff Sharlet, USA
2012 Felipa de Souza Award, Judge Karan Atala, Chile; Special Recognition Award, Senator Tammy Baldwin, USA
2013 Felipa de Souza Award, Yasemin Oz, Esq., Turkey; OutSpoken Award, Dr. Binnaz Toprak, Turkey; Special Recognition Award, Dorothy Sander, USA
2014 Felipa de Souza Award, Gay Japan News, Japan; KRYSS, Malaysia; O, Pakistan; Rainbow Rights, Philippines; Women’s Support Group, Sri Lanka; Special Recognition Award, Todd Larson, Former Senior LGBT Coordinator, USAID, USA
2015 Felipa de Souza Award, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), Zimbabwe
2016 Felipa de Souza Award, Crown Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, India
2017 Felipa de Souza Award, Caleb Orozco, Belize; OutSpoken Award, Logo TV, USA; Special Recognition Award, Blanche Wiesen Cook, USA
2018 Felipa de Souza Award, Georges Azzi, ADE Executive Director, Lebanon; OutStanding Award, Lois Whitman, USA
2019 Felipa de Souza Award, Rikki Nathanson, USA; OutStanding Award, Beth A. Brooke-Marciniak, USA; OutSpoken Award, Cast & Crew of Transparent, USA
2020-2021 No Presentation
2022 Felipa de Souza Award, Gloria Careaga, Feminist Lesbian & Academic Activist; OutSpoken Award, Brent Miller, Senior Director, Global LGBTIQ+ Equality at P&G; Outstanding Award, Nadya Tolokonnikova, Artist & Activist, Co-Founder of Pussy Riot, UkraineDAO & UnicornDAO
2023 Felipa de Souza Award, Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE); Outspoken Award, Queer Cast of the Paramount+ Original Series Star Trek: Discovery; Outstanding Award, Google.org

Directions to the venue

Location

Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers (between 19th & 20th Streets) New York, NY 10011 U.S.A. (MAP)

Directions

Subway: A/C/E/F trains (blue line): 23rd Street stop · 1/2 trains (red line): 18th Street stop
Bus Routes: M23 – West 23rd Street & 11th Avenue stop
Parking: North River Parking Garage

Arrival Instructions

Forthcoming

Refund Notice

Each ticket holder understands and agrees that all tickets purchased are final sale and are not eligible for return, exchange, or transfer. The The event will occur rain or shine but in the rare event that the CDC and or New York State prohibits the event because of extremely severe weather, or if an event is postponed due to changes within local and state orders, you will be contacted with an exchange date(s) for the event. Outright will not issue any refunds for health-related concerns, inclement weather, etc., but will work with each individual or institution to identify mutually agreed upon benefits and/or, in unique circumstances left to Outright’s discretion, credits of equal value.

In the event of a canceled event, Outright will issue a refund of the ticket price paid upon request of the ticket purchaser. In no event will delivery charges or any other amounts be refunded. If a refund is issued, it will be issued using the same method of payment that was used to purchase the tickets. Outright will not be liable for travel or any other expenses incurred by the ticket purchaser or anyone else in connection with a canceled or postponed event.

Outright reserves the right, without refund of any amount paid, to refuse admission to, or eject, any person whose conduct management deems disorderly, who uses vulgar or abusive language and/or who fails to comply with venue rules. Breach of terms or rules will terminate your license to attend the event without refund. A ticket is a revocable license and admission may be refused upon refunding the ticket’s face amount. A ticket is not redeemable for cash.

2024 Celebration of Courage