VIDEOS AND PHOTOS: Artist and Advocate Amy Sherald, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Congresswoman Sarah McBride Join Together in the Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality at Human Rights Campaign’s 2025 National Dinner

At this year’s event, HRC awarded renowned artist and advocate Amy Sherald with the Ally for Equality Award for her work expanding LGBTQ+ visibility through her art and standing strong against anti-LGBTQ+ censorship. The night also featured keynote remarks from Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress in American history, who addressed the crowd on the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in their states and beyond. HRC President Kelley Robinson also delivered remarks at the event, speaking to the power and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community and our fundamental role in the American Dream. 

View video of HRC President Kelley Robinson’s speech here.

“The promise of freedom is worth fighting for. It’s the same belief Dr. King lifted up when he declared ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ But let’s be honest, that arc doesn’t bend on its own. It bends because people like us push it, pull it and will it to do so—and that’s exactly what lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people have always done,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “This country has already been bought and paid for, with our courage and with our brilliance… This is our inheritance. It’s not political. It’s personal… Freedom belongs to us, HRC. Now is our time to claim it.” 

View video of Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s Remarks here.  

“I am very proud and honored to be here as the governor of a state that is proud and loud and unapologetic about the fact that we are a safe haven for LGBTQIA+ rights and LGBTQIA+ community,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. “It is not lost on me that right now our work to meet this mission has gotten more difficult… This is a moment when we are watching people who are solving disputes with violence. This is a moment when we are seeing decisions out of our federal government that are seeking to separate, that are seeking to demonize specific groups for political gain… Those who seek to destroy, they will fade away and history will not remember them. And those who lead with love, you will be eternal. You will be everlasting.” 

View video of Congresswoman Sarah McBride’s Remarks here

“At this moment of choosing for our country, we must once again decide whether we will turn inward or reach outward. Whether we will choose grace over grievance, whether we will give up and write off our fellow citizens, or whether we’re willing to summon hope in our shared humanity,” said Congresswoman Sarah McBride. “We have 250 years of evidence that change is possible. I think about it every single time I walk onto the floor of the House of Representatives… And I am reminded each and every time I’m there of the enduring ingredients that made all of that progress possible. That the answer to hate is not more hate. That love invites people in. That joy grows our ranks. And that hope, infectious and inviting hope, is the only way forward.” 

View video of Amy Sherald accepting the Ally for Equality here.

“In this era of fear and division, art at its best is not only a mirror, it’s medicine. It reminds us that no one should be reduced, that no dream should be diminished and no life should be overlooked,” said artist and advocate Amy Sherald. “We are called to imagine a world where trans people grow up safe, celebrated and seen. And where every person who has ever been told they are too much—are made to feel invisible—can rise, stand tall in dignity and live fully in their truth. My painting may have been taken down, but this movement cannot be taken down… You are what freedom looks like when it transforms.”

The night also featured powerful performances from LGBTQ+ advocates and singer/songwriters David Archuleta and VINCINT. Comedian Dana Goldberg hosted a live auction, helping to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Guests enjoyed afterparty entertainment by DJ Brian Henry.

Preceding the National Dinner, the third annual Equality Convention took place at the Westin DC Downtown on Friday, bringing together LGBTQ+ advocates, influencers, and allies from across the country to chart the course forward for the LGBTQ+ movement. The Convention’s centerpiece, an American Dreams Tour town hall, featured HRC president Kelley Robinson in conversation with U.S. Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA), Virginia State Sen. Danica Roem, and HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf, moderated by April Ryan, author, reporter, and White House Correspondent for The Grio. These community leaders, advocates, and allies discussed a range of issues brought forward by attendees, including how to protect our families and our peace in challenging times and the work to build unstoppable people power. Click here for photos from the 2025 Equality Convention (Photos by Kevin Parisi).

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.