PHOTOS: Actress Jane Krakowski, Fashion Designer Daniella Kallmeyer and LGBTQ+ Advocate Juli Grey-Owens Honored at Human Rights Campaign’s 2026 Greater New York Dinner

WASHINGTON — On Saturday, February 7, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, brought together hundreds of LGBTQ+ advocates and supporters for its annual Greater New York Dinner. Photos from the Greater New York Dinner can be found here. 

This year’s event honored LGBTQ+ superstars including actress, singer and dancer Jane Krakowski, New York–based designer and the founder of ready-to-wear brand, Kallmeyer, Daniella Kallmeyer, and transgender activist and the founder and Executive Director of Gender Equality New York Inc. Juli Grey-Owens. Other guests included actor and singer Tituss Burgess, The Gilded Age actress Louisa Jacobson, the iconic voice of the NYC Subway, Bernie Wagenblast and comedian and Out 100 Honoree Dana Goldberg. 

Jane Krakowski, the Emmy-nominated and Tony Award–winning actress, received HRC’s Ally for Equality Award for her dynamic work as a performer and ally in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

“Here we are in 2026 and the government has again turned its back on this community,” Krawkowski said. “Even worse, they’re actively attacking it. Trans kids are being targeted by legislation designed to erase them. Books are being ripped off of library shelves. Hate speech is being amplified by those in power fueling rising hate crimes. And once again, I am watching this community respond with the same defiance, with the same solidarity and the same insistence on being seen that I first witnessed all those years ago.” ... “You refused to be silent when the government turned its back. You refused to hide when the world tells you to be ashamed. You refused to stop making art, making history and making your lives full and loud.”

Daniella Kallmeyer, founder of her eponymous label, Kallmeyer, was honored with HRC’s Visibility award for her impact as a queer woman in the fashion industry. 

“Thank you to those who kicked doors open — to the communities that have nurtured me, challenged me and held me accountable,” Kallmeyer said. “I carry that with me every day in how I design, how I lead and how I show up.”

Juli Grey-Owens, a New York State transgender activist and founder and Executive Director of Gender Equality New York Inc. was honored with HRC’s Community Impact award for her relentless fight for transgender visibility and rights. 

“Even before this current wave of attacks, many transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people felt forced to hide who they are to avoid violence, rejection, or the loss of housing, employment, and basic services,” Grey-Owens said. “And for those who dared to be visible, mistreatment was often the cost of that courage. When people are pushed into hiding, normalization becomes impossible. A misinformed public fuels fear, fear forces people underground, and that invisibility prevents understanding. The cycle repeats, unless we interrupt it. That is why recognition like this matters. It tells my community that we are seen, that our lives are worth protecting, and that growth and accountability within our movement are possible.”

Don Lemon made a surprise appearance and delivered an emotional speech about the attacks on journalistic freedom and the need for solidarity in these perilous times. View video of Don Lemon’s speech here. 

“The First Amendment is not just a legal guarantee. It is breath in the lungs of a democracy. And when that breath is threatened, you feel it before you can explain it.” …. “The most dangerous thing to any authority is not rebellion, but witness.” …. “The free press does not exist to reassure the nation. It exists to reveal it to itself.” …. “Freedom is fragile, but it is not finished. Truth is contested, but it is not defeated. Democracy is strained, but it is not silent.”

HRC President Kelley Robinson gave an impassioned speech about the fight for LGBTQ+ equality.

“I believe this with everything in me: If we stand together, if we fight together, one day soon we will know more joy than grief. Our children will feel just as safe surrounded by the American flag as they do when surrounded by Pride flags. That one day our children won’t just dream about the promise of freedom–they will have it. The question is not whether or not we can win. The question is what are we willing to do. Are you willing to choose hope, to choose love, to choose courage, to choose joy.” 

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke about the resilience of this country and the LGBTQ+ community. 

“America's march towards equality suffered a major setback in the last presidential election. We are reaping the ugly consequences, but I believe the tide has turned.” …. “And let me just say, I believe, just as I believed a year ago when I was here, that if we keep the faith, if we remain alert and vigilant against the forces of bigotry, if we tap into the power of our numbers, then we can beat back this administration's equal agenda.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker spoke about the importance of this moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the future of our country. 

“I know we're in a storm right now, but I'm here to tell you, it's often exactly at these moments in American history where we have ignited something so special and so beautiful. This understanding that we are all in this together, that we need each other in many ways, at the very moments of indifference and hate, is when we find a new level of empathy and love.”

More videos from the event will be posted on HRC’s YouTube page. 

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.