Staged in the heart of Lower Manhattan, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art’s Fall Gala was an unforgettable evening, celebrating creative expression and LGBTQIA+ lives. This year’s iteration honored three remarkable visionaries whose contributions to the worlds of art, culture, and advocacy have made a lasting impact.

The museum celebrated ANOHNI, the luminary artist who made history as the first openly transgender performer nominated for an Academy Award; she’s also a founding member of Future Feminism, a project that advocates for the intersectional empowerment of women globally. Activist Chanel Lopez, the Deputy Director of LGBTQIA+ Affairs for Governor Kathy Hochul, was also recognized for her contributions to New York City’s trans and gender non-conforming community, having spent the past two decades as a youth counselor for the Ali Forney Center, as well as a crisis counselor for the New York City Anti-Violence Project. Guggenheim Fellow Catherine Opie was lauded for her demonstrated excellence in the arts, her photographs centering LGBTQIA+ youth, praised for capturing often-overlooked aspects of American life and culture.

Each with their unique stories and contributions to New York’s queer community, these honorees embody the essence of the Leslie-Lohman mission—to both inspire and support artistic endeavors from LGBTQIA+ creatives, and to arm them with the tools necessary to create lasting, positive change.