Los Angeles LGBT Center to Honor Academy and Tony Award Winner Marcia Gay Harden with Vanguard Award at Center Gala on May 16
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The acclaimed actress and advocate will be celebrated during an evening inspired by this year’s theme, “The Place We Call Home,” and the power of family, advocacy, and belonging.
Presented by Gilead Sciences
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LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2026—The Los Angeles LGBT Center will host its annual Center Gala this Saturday, May 16 from 6-10 p.m. at the Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood, bringing together community leaders, supporters, and friends for an unforgettable evening centered on this year’s theme, “The Place We Call Home.”
“Home” reflects the spaces—both physical and chosen—that affirm, protect, and uplift LGBTQ+ people. Through healthcare, housing, advocacy, and community programming, the Center continues to create spaces where LGBTQ+ people feel seen, supported, and safe.
At the heart of the evening, the Center will present its prestigious Vanguard Award to Marcia Gay Harden, honoring her longstanding advocacy for LGBTQ+ communities and her outspoken support as the mother of three queer-identifying children. Through both her public platform and personal storytelling, Harden has helped foster deeper conversations around acceptance, affirmation, and building a home rooted in love and authenticity.
Actor Harry Ford, who starred alongside Harden in Code Black, will take the stage to present the award in recognition of her advocacy and longstanding commitment to LGBTQ+ communities.
“This year’s gala theme, ‘The Place We Call Home,’ is about creating spaces where LGBTQ+ people feel seen, protected, and supported – something the Los Angeles LGBT Center has been doing daily for nearly 60 years,” said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “Marcia Gay Harden has used her voice and platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ communities with authenticity and courage, while demonstrating the profound impact family support can have in creating a more inclusive world. The Vanguard Award recognizes individuals whose leadership helps move our communities forward, and Marcia embodies that spirit in extraordinary ways.”
“We are also proud to honor LuAnn Boylan with the Rand Schrader Award in recognition of almost 35 years of extraordinary service to the Center and the broader fight for equality. As a longtime board member, leader, and mentor, LuAnn has dedicated her life to advancing civil rights and strengthening LGBTQ+ communities. Her steady leadership, vision, and unwavering commitment to justice have helped shape the Center into the vital home and global force it is today,” said Hollendoner.
“As a mother, ally, and advocate, I’ve learned that home is something we create through love,” said Marcia Gay Harden, recipient of the Vanguard Award. “What makes the Los Angeles LGBT Center so extraordinary is its deeply loving and specific work to remind people — especially young people — that they belong. Our children belong. And what some may see as faults or cracks are often simply the places where the light gets in. To be recognized by an organization that creates that kind of belonging and possibility for so many is profoundly meaningful to me and my family. It will be a privilege to stand with a community so full of light, wisdom, resilience, and fabulousness — continuing to push back against fear and division simply by being fully, authentically ourselves.”
Harden has spoken openly about how her queer children shaped her journey as an advocate, helping deepen her understanding of queer and gender-nonconforming communities. She has shared that parenthood taught her “the ability to love” by supporting her children for who they are.
Center Gala 2026 will be hosted by Bianca Del Rio, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, who will bring her signature wit, impeccable timing, and fearless humor to the stage. Trailblazing tennis legend and advocate Billie Jean King will present the Rand Schrader Award to beloved community leader LuAnn Boylan, recognizing her lasting impact and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community. Boylan’s decades of leadership and advocacy have helped strengthen the very foundation of community care that the Center continues to build upon today.
“Los Angeles LGBT Center has always been more than an organization—it is a living reflection of what becomes possible when a community chooses to care for one another,” said LuAnn Boylan, recipient of the Rand Schrader Award. “Over more than three decades of service on the Board of Directors, I’ve witnessed the Center evolve to meet each moment with compassion, courage, and an unwavering belief that LGBTQ+ people deserve not only safety and support, but joy, dignity, and opportunity. I’m deeply honored to celebrate the Center’s enduring mission and the generations of community members, staff, volunteers, and advocates whose commitment continues to make this work possible.”
Together, the evening’s host, presenters, and honorees reflect the breadth of voices and leadership that continue to shape what “home” looks like for LGBTQ+ people across Los Angeles and beyond—spanning generations, identities, and lived experiences.
Proceeds from the Center Gala directly support the Center’s life-saving programs and services, including resources for transgender and gender-diverse individuals—from healthcare and housing to community-based support systems that ensure LGBTQ+ people have a place to turn, and a place to belong.
In a time when many LGBTQ+ people continue to face displacement, discrimination, and isolation, the Center remains a constant: a place where home is not only protected, but actively built every day.
Ahead of the May 16 celebration, the Center Gala 2026 officially sold out every seat, reflecting an overwhelming show of support for the Los Angeles LGBT Center and its mission. For additional information, please visit lalgbtcenter.org/Gala.
Members of the press interested in covering the event may contact [email protected].
Center Gala 2026 is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Gilead Sciences.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT
Center Gala
Join us for an evening bringing together community leaders, supporters, and friends of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. This year’s gala will honor Academy Award-winning actress and LGBTQ+ advocate Marcia Gay Harden with the Vanguard Award for her longstanding support of LGBTQ+ communities and advocacy as the mother of three queer children.
Hosted by larger-than-life drag icon and razor-sharp comic Bianca Del Rio, the evening will also feature trailblazing tennis legend and advocate Billie Jean King presenting the Rand Schrader Award to beloved community leader LuAnn Boylan.
Your participation helps sustain vital programs and services supporting LGBTQ+ people across Los Angeles.
WHEN
Saturday, May 16, 2026
6:00-10:00 p.m.
WHERE
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Anita May Rosenstein Campus
1118 N. McCadden Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
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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.