Cyndi Lauper, Laverne Cox, and Global LGBTIQ Movement Leaders Headline Outright International’s 2026 Celebration of Courage awards and gala

Brazilian democracy institute VoteLGBT and apparel company Levi Strauss & Co. will also be honored
on June 1 in NYC. The gala anchors the final weeks of Outright’s Funding Our Freedom campaign, which
closes June 30.

At a critical moment for global LGBTIQ rights funding, Outright International, the global LGBTIQ human rights organization working in 100+ countries, will convene activists, artists, philanthropists and corporate leaders on Monday, June 1, at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers, for its annual Celebration of Courage awards and gala. Four-time Emmy-nominated actress and Emmy-winning producer Laverne Cox will host. The evening will honor Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning artist and advocate Cyndi Lauper; Brazilian democracy and LGBTIQ political-participation institute VoteLGBT; and longtime Outright partner Levi Strauss & Co., the first Fortune 500 company to extend benefits to same-sex domestic partners and continuing to speak openly and proudly about its work to this day.

This year’s theme, “Creativity and Innovation in a Time of Disruption: Showing Up for Everyone, Everywhere,” reflects how LGBTIQ communities worldwide are responding to rising attacks and shifting funding systems with new models for advocacy, culture, and collaboration. Celebration of Courage brings together the people responding: frontline activists, cultural figures using their platforms to drive change, and institutions backing equality with sustained investment.

The 2026 honorees come from across the global movement. VoteLGBT works on data, democracy, and LGBTIQ political participation in Brazil. Cyndi Lauper has spent four decades using her platform for LGBTIQ rights, women and girls, and youth experiencing homelessness. Levi Strauss & Co. has built a 170-year record on equality, including being the first Fortune 500 company to extend benefits to samesex domestic partners.

The gala comes during the final weeks of Outright’s Funding Our Freedom campaign, created as traditional aid systems have fractured and funding pathways have shifted worldwide. The campaign underwrites Outright’s frontline programs and partners in 100+ countries, positioning Outright as a bridge between today’s urgent needs and the next era of how the global LGBTIQ movement is funded.

The 2026 honorees

Felipa de Souza Award:

VoteLGBT (Brazil). Co-led by Bru Pereira and Gui Mohallem, VoteLGBT is a Brazilian democracy institute that has helped transform LGBTIQ political participation in the country. In just ten years, Brazil went from 3 openly LGBTIQ candidacies to more than 3,000, alongside a record number of trans people elected to Congress. Combining data, civic technology, cultural mobilization, and monitoring of anti-LGBTIQ political violence, VoteLGBT develops democratic infrastructure that helps queer communities organize, participate, and sustain political power.

Outstanding Award:

Levi Strauss & Co. is being recognized for more than three decades of corporate leadership in LGBTIQ equality. The company was the first Fortune 500 to extend benefits to same-sex domestic partners. It has publicly opposed discriminatory legislation, supported the Equality Act, and continues to fund organizations advancing LGBTIQ equality in the U.S. and globally. Vice President of Global Design Innovation Paul Dillinger will accept on the company’s behalf. The Outstanding Award recognizes individuals, companies, and organizations whose long-term work has advanced understanding and equity for LGBTIQ people across diverse communities and regions.

Outspoken Award:

Cyndi Lauper. Across more than four decades, Cyndi Lauper has built one of the most consistent records of advocacy in popular music. She has spoken up for LGBTIQ rights, women and girls, and youth experiencing homelessness. She has testified before the U.S. Senate, performed at the White House, and co-founded the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund. The Outspoken Award honors public figures whose clear and consistent voice has helped move the public conversation forward.

About Outright International

Founded in 1990, Outright International works around the world to advance human rights for LGBTIQ people. With partners in 100+ countries, Outright strengthens the LGBTIQ human rights movement, documents and amplifies human rights violations, and advocates for inclusion and equality at the United Nations and beyond.

About Funding Our Freedom

Funding Our Freedom is Outright’s campaign responding to a fundamental shift in how LGBTIQ movements are funded worldwide. The campaign closes June 30, 2026. Funds raised support frontline organizations around the world whose work has been most affected by the funding contraction and sustain Outright’s core programs.