Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Fourth Queerceañera Honors Breakout Queer Musician Cain Culto & Award-Winning Journalist Suzy Exposito
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The organization’s signature queer and trans Latine tradition returned this year as a philanthropic event raising $75,000 to support its life-saving programs and services.
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Presented by Gilead Sciences
Photos courtesy of the Los Angeles LGBT Center
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2026 — The Los Angeles LGBT Center brought together artists, community leaders, and supporters on Saturday, September 26 for its fourth annual Queerceañera, an evening honoring queer Latine community, heritage, and leadership at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood. This year marked a new chapter for Queerceañera as it evolved into a signature philanthropic event, raising $75,000 to support the Center’s programs and services for LGBTQ+ people across Los Angeles.
Held under the theme, Siempre Contigo (“Always With You”), the evening honored breakout queer artist and trained violinist Cain Culto alongside award-winning journalist and cultural tastemaker Suzy Exposito. The two honorees took the stage to accept their awards and engage in an intimate fireside chat, turning the tables on one another as they traded questions about their work, identities, and the experiences that have shaped them. Culto also delivered a special live performance featuring music from his newly released album, CULTO. RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 alum Naysha Lopez hosted the evening, with DJ Love Baila keeping the celebration going throughout the night.
“To be recognized tonight by the Los Angeles LGBT Center, surrounded by a community that celebrates our heritage, our freedom of expression, and all the intersections that make us who we are, means more than I can say,” said honoree Cain Culto in his acceptance remarks. “I encourage you to embrace your complexity, your contradictions. Follow your creative instincts. We need your genius now, in this moment in history. Look around tonight and feel inspired. Carry all of it with you as you move forward.”
“The Los Angeles LGBT Center has been a beacon of light for me in some really tough times,” said honoree Suzy Exposito. “I want to thank every person here for showing up, for being your beautiful, varied selves. The queer community is such a rich tapestry and by showing up here, you’re showing up for each other and our communities at large.”
Exposito, editor of the Los Angeles Times’ De Los section, was recognized for her contributions to journalism and commitment to elevating LGBTQ+ Latine voices. Culto was honored for his bold, genre-defying artistry, which draws from his Colombian and Nicaraguan heritage, Kentucky upbringing, and queer identity. His self-described “Kentucky Latin Art-Pop” brings together influences ranging from Appalachian folk and bluegrass to Colombian musical traditions including vallenato and bullerengue.
Throughout the evening, Siempre Contigo came to life through music, food, dancing, and community, creating an atmosphere rooted in queer Latine joy, connection, and belonging. At the heart of this year’s Queerce imagery was the hummingbird, symbolizing ancestry, resilience, and connection across generations and reflecting the way queer Latine communities carry their histories forward while forging new paths.
“Queerceañera is about celebrating the vibrancy and joy of queer Latine life in Los Angeles—and making sure those experiences are seen, valued, and centered,” said Oliver DelGado, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Los Angeles LGBT Center and founder of Queerceañera. “This year, our community came together not only to celebrate our culture and the people shaping it, but to raise $75,000 to support the life-saving programs and services that LGBTQ+ people across our city rely on every day. That’s what makes this event so meaningful: We’re celebrating who we are, honoring where we come from, and investing in the future of our community.”
“Thank you to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for partnering with Gilead Sciences for this year’s Queerceañera,” said Michael Barajas, Executive Commercial Partner at Gilead Sciences. “The event creates an important safe space for young queer Latine folks to share their narratives, which is critical now more than ever.”
Since its debut in 2023, Queerceañera has grown into the Center’s signature Latine Heritage Month tradition, reimagining the traditional quinceañera as an inclusive queer community cotillion centered on pride and belonging. Over four years, the event brought together queer Latine leaders, artists, changemakers, and community members to celebrate the people and experiences shaping queer Latine life in Los Angeles.
For more information about Queerceañera and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, visit lalgbtcenter.org. Media inquiries may be directed to [email protected].
Presented by Gilead Sciences, Queerceañera is also made possible by Official Sponsors United Airlines, Wella Company, and Andy Ortiz & Peter Nielsen, alongside Supporting Sponsor Blue Shield of California.
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About the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969, the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBTQ+ individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBTQ+ people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBTQ+ people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.