Pose Star Hailie Sahar and Filmmaker Elegance Bratton to Be Honored at Highly Favored, Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Black History Month Celebration
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The annual community celebration will spotlight Black queer nightlife
on Feb. 21 at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood
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LOS ANGELES, February 13, 2026—Actress Hailie Sahar, best known for her role on FX’s groundbreaking series Pose, will be honored at this year’s Highly Favored, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s annual Black History Month celebration, a bold spotlight on Black queer culture, creativity, and community in Los Angeles and beyond. She will be recognized alongside filmmaker Elegance Bratton as part of the Center’s tribute to artists and storytellers whose work preserves cultural memory and expands queer representation.
Taking place on Saturday, Feb. 21 at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood, Highly Favored returns as a joyous outdoor dance party—an ode to Black queer nightlife inspired by the legacy of Jewel’s Catch One—honoring the dance floors and creative venues where generations have built connection, safety, and fearless expression.
A trans Angeleno cultural figure and advocate, Sahar’s work on screen and in community has helped expand visibility and opportunity for Black trans women in entertainment and across the industry. Her presence at Highly Favored reflects the program’s commitment to uplifting artists whose voice and presence shape contemporary queer culture.
“I am deeply honored to accept this award from the Los Angeles LGBT Center. My work continues to remind me that standing up for justice and choosing integrity is always the right path. In a world that can feel dark, we are each given the power to choose how we show up. May we choose goodness, choose kindness, and choose to do what is right — every time,” said honoree Hailie Sahar.
Filmmaker Elegance Bratton will also be honored for his contributions to Black queer storytelling in film and television. An award-winning, boundary-breaking director, writer, and producer, Bratton is known for documentary and narrative films centering Black queer and trans lives. His work includes the Independent Spirit Award-winning documentary Pier Kids, the GLAAD Media Award-nominated ballroom series My House, and the A24 feature The Inspection, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. His films have screened at more than 200 festivals worldwide, and he was named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch.
“In a time when culture is being flattened, histories erased, and entire communities asked to disappear for the comfort of others, this recognition carries profound meaning,” said honoree Elegance Bratton. “The Los Angeles LGBT Center has long stood as a living archive of resistance, care, and imagination—and its commitment to Black and Latino queer life, especially through the worldbuilding and collective joy rooted in Jewel’s Catch One, feels both urgent and ancestral. To be held in that lineage, and to have Black and Latino queer nightlife and cultural memory honored rather than erased, is deeply moving. This recognition affirms not only the work, but the people, places, and acts of courage that made it possible. It is also a reminder that culture survives because people refuse to stop fighting for it. I am truly honored to accept and to participate in this year’s celebration.”
The evening program will include a special on-stage recognition of both honorees, with high-energy DJ sets from Mez Monty and DeFacto X soundtracking the celebration and reflecting the vibrancy and influence of these nightlife communities.
This year’s Highly Favored program begins with the gallery exhibition opening of JOY! on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Advocate & Gochis Galleries, featuring work by artist and photographer Nikko LaMere, founder of In the Night. The exhibition explores Black queer identity and joy through the visual language of nightlife and will remain on view throughout February. The Feb. 21 main event extends the visual and cultural foundation into a live communal experience centered on music, movement, and connection.
“Highly Favored recognizes Black queer nightlife as more than a celebration: it’s a space where community is built, culture thrives, and resistance endures,” said Giovanna Fischer, Chief Equity Officer of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “By honoring Hailie Sahar and Elegance Bratton alongside this year’s featured artists, we’re recognizing the storytellers and culture-makers who document these spaces and carry their legacy forward.”
At a time when LGBTQ+ communities continue to face coordinated federal attacks nationwide, Highly Favored centers Black queer joy as both affirmation and action, creating settings that foster visibility, remembrance, and forward momentum.
More information about Highly Favored, including event details, can be found at lalgbtcenter.org/HighlyFavored. Press interested in covering the gallery opening, the main event, or both are encouraged to contact [email protected] to coordinate credentials.
Highly Favored is made possible by Official Sponsors ADP and United Airlines.
WHAT
Highly Favored
The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s annual Black History Month celebration, Highly Favored, is a bold spotlight on everything Black and queer in Los Angeles.
GALLERY OPENING:
WHEN
Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
6:30-9:30 p.m.
WHERE
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Advocate & Gochis Galleries
1125 N. McCadden Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
FREE RSVP: HERE
MAIN EVENT:
WHEN
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
6:30-10:00 p.m.
*Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE
Los Angeles LGBT Center
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N. McCadden Pl.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
FREE RSVP: HERE
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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.
About Nikko LaMere
Nikko LaMere is a Los Angeles-born visual artist whose work explores queer joy, intimacy, and self-expression. Raised by their grandmother, a hairdresser to some of music’s most iconic acts, LaMere grew up immersed in glamour, creativity, and the freedom to dream. Originally trained as a dancer, LaMere learned to build worlds through movement and choreography, a practice that naturally evolved into directing and photography. Their work creates immersive, emotionally rich spaces where fantasy, community, and freedom meet, and has been commissioned by leading artists and global cultural institutions. Learn more and follow their work on Instagram @nikkolamere.