BOOTS Star Max Parker and Bay Area Community Leader Honey Mahogany to be Honored at the 2025 Human Rights Campaign San Francisco Dinner, Featuring a Keynote Speech from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization – announced that it will honor Max Parker, star of Netflix’s hit series BOOTS, produced by Sony Pictures Television, and performer and LGBTQ+ advocate Honey Mahogany, at the organization’s annual San Francisco Dinner. Parker will receive HRC’s Visibility Award for his landmark work uplifting LGBTQ+ stories and representation on screen and bringing the history of our community to life. Honey Mahogany will receive HRC’s Community Impact Award for her commitment to building up San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community and being a trailblazer for the city’s transgender community.

Additionally, the event will feature a keynote speech by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on the importance of allyship and political advocacy for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights. Guests will also enjoy a powerful performance from LGBTQ+ advocate and singer/songwriter VINCINT. The live auction will be hosted by comedian Dana Goldberg. HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf will also be speaking at the dinner, addressing guests about the fight ahead for LGBTQ+ equality in California and beyond. The 2025 HRC San Francisco dinner will take place on Saturday, December 6th. Tickets to attend the event can be purchased here. 

“I’m pleased to recognize Max Parker and Honey Mahogany for their incredible work uplifting the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and collaborating in this fight for equality. Their power, commitment and passion are needed now more than ever, and we’re proud to recognize their contributions,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “I’m also honored that we will be joined by Speaker Emerita Pelosi, a history-maker and legendary ally who has helped us advance numerous critical protections over her decades-long career. As the LGBTQ+ community faces numerous attempts to strip away our rights, we must remember to come together and leverage our shared strength to fight for a better world. This will be a beautiful night of community building and celebration as we continue our work to advance justice and equality for all.”

“It’s an honour to be receiving HRC’s Visibility Award and to stand together in solidarity with San Francisco’s most committed advocates who are fighting to make this city, this country and our world a better place,” said BOOTS star and LGBTQ+ Advocate Max Parker. “Right now, our community is more uncertain than ever about the future of our rights, and this moment calls for us to be loud and proud — unapologetically sharing our stories and making our voices heard. As an out, queer actor, I will continue to expand visibility for my community on and off screen. I will continue to share our stories until we can all be authentically who we are without fear.” 

Max Parker is a British actor who was born and raised in Manchester and trained at Arts Educational Schools in London. He is best known for playing Mikhail in Vampire Academy for Peacock, Luke Posner in Emmerdale for ITV, King Henry in Netflix series Blood, Sex and Royalty and most recently Manni in DR WHO for BBC and Disney. He has also appeared in Cobra for Sky, World on Fire and Casualty for the BBC and the feature film Love Sarah. He stars as one of the leads in Netflix’s new military drama BOOTS playing the role of Sullivan.

“San Francisco is a city with a long history in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement and has been home to a long line of trailblazers. Folks like Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin and the Daughters of Bilitis, the queens of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, Jose Julio Sarria, Harvey Milk, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Miss Major Griffith-Gracy and the Transgender Gender-variant Intersex Justice Project, and so many more have led the way towards our collective liberation. I’m proud of my city’s reputation for innovation, its celebration of diversity, and its rich legacy of advocacy that is needed now more than ever,” said LGBTQ+ Community Leader and Performer Honey Mahogany. “And I am extremely humbled to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as a trailblazer alongside so many other courageous champions of freedom and justice.”

Honey Mahogany (she/they) is a performer, small business owner and activist who grew up in San Francisco. Honey received her Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, and her work as an advocate, culture creator and change maker has earned her recognition from the City of San Francisco and numerous advocacy organizations. Honey is a co-founder and served as the inaugural Executive Director of San Francisco’s Transgender District, is a founding queen of Drag Story Hour, a co-owner of the Stud Bar and a singer with nu-metal group Commando. Currently, Honey works as the Director of the Office of Trans Initiatives in San Francisco, is Chair-Emerita of the San Francisco Democratic Party and served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Committee in 2024. 

“San Francisco has always been a beacon of hope to the LGBTQ+ community, and it is my privilege to join HRC in honoring two extraordinary leaders who carry that legacy forward,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “Max Parker and Honey Mahogany embody the courage, creativity and authenticity that strengthen our city and inspire our nation. As forces work to roll back hard-won rights, their visibility and advocacy remind us that progress is possible when we lift each other up. Let us salute the work of HRC and this beautiful community as we continue the fight for justice, dignity and equality for all.”

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has served as a committed public servant and prolific ally to the LGBTQ+ community for decades, supporting the community’s efforts to achieve landmark victories in the fight for equality. During Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker of the House, from 2007-2011 and 2019-2023, the LGBTQ+ community saw more legislative progress than under any previous Speaker. In 2021, the Pelosi-led House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified federal marriage equality by guaranteeing the federal rights, benefits and obligations of marriages in the federal code; repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and affirming that public acts, records and proceedings should be recognized by all states. Additionally, Pelosi led the fight for the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” helping to advance critical protections for the LGBTQ+ community. She recently announced she will not be running for reelection, bringing an end to a history-making career in civil service. 

VINCINT has captivated millions across the globe with big-hearted pop music. In 2022 “Higher”, the lead single of their debut album The Will Be Tears, became an anthem for pride celebrations across the world. Since then they’ve had their first North America headline tour, supported MAX on tour, made their Coachella debut and performed to over 40,000 fans across the country. Recently VINCINT has released the first two singles off their forthcoming project, Romance and Take Me Home.

As seen on ABC, TBS, and Last Comic Standing, comedian Dana Goldberg is a force of nature on stage. With performances at the San Francisco International Comedy Competition, the Comedy Festival produced by TBS and HBO, and the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, her quick wit and playful stage presence have earned her loyal fans across the world. Dana has performed at and emceed hundreds of high-profile events, raised over $70M for non-profits around the country and was recently named to OutMagazine’s Out100 List, Curve Magazine’s Power List and GO Magazine’s 100 Women We Love. She is the co-host of the top-rated news podcast The Daily Beans and is currently developing her first TV pilot with Soto Productions.

This year’s San Francisco Dinner will bring together HRC’s most active advocates, members and supporters across the state to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Tickets and further information are available here. 
 

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.