Hakeem Jeffries vows that House Democrats will stand with trans Americans ‘always and forever’

As the Trump administration continues its unprecedented assault on LGBTQ+ rights, some of the nation's most prominent queer leaders and allies gathered Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., with a message that was equal parts warning, celebration, and call to action: don't give up.

Bob the Drag Queen hosted Equality PAC’s annual National Pride Gala, attended by members of Congress, activists, celebrities, and donors, packed a ballroom just blocks from the Capitol, where speakers repeatedly returned to a common refrain — that the current wave of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, particularly those targeting transgender people, can be defeated through political organizing, visibility, and persistence.

The evening, which included a performance by singer Darlene Love and a speech by actress Lynda Carter, featured appearances by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Sarah McBride, former Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine, and Equality PAC leaders. Actors Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin received the organization's Nancy Pelosi Equality Ally Award, while filmmaker Jacob Tierney, the creator of the popular TV show Heated Rivalry, was honored with its inaugural Game Changer Award.

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Bob the Drag Queen hosted the Equality PAC National Pride Gala.Jon Fleming Photography

For much of the evening, speakers acknowledged the fear and uncertainty many LGBTQ+ Americans are experiencing as the Trump administration attempts to strip transgender people of federal civil rights protections, restrict health care access, and remove recognition of gender identity from federal policy.

Levine, the highest-ranking out transgender official ever to serve in the federal government, urged attendees not to allow those attacks to divide the broader LGBTQ community.

"As we celebrate Pride this year, [these are] very challenging times for our community, especially for vulnerable transgender youth [and] their families," Levine said. "We cannot allow our haters to divide us. We are always stronger together."

Levine argued that while opponents seek to restrict transgender people's access to health care, advocates must remain focused on expanding care and opportunity for everyone.

"The tide will change. The wheel will turn. This challenging moment will pass," she said.

McBride, the first out transgender person elected to Congress, received one of the night's longest ovations as she reflected on the barrage of anti-trans political advertising that dominated the 2024 election cycle.

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Dr. Rachel Levine addressed the Equality PAC National Pride Gala.Jon Fleming Photography

"Two hundred million dollars were spent in ads demonizing people like me, Dr. Levine, and many of you," McBride said. Yet despite predictions that Democrats would abandon LGBTQ people politically, she noted that "not a single anti-LGBTQ bill or major provision has become law in this country."

Rather than retreat, McBride urged LGBTQ+ advocates to continue engaging people beyond their own communities. She argued that the LGBTQ movement's greatest victories have come through persuasion rather than isolation.

"The answer to hate is not hate," McBride said. "Love invites people in. Joy grows our ranks."

Jeffries, who is poised to become Speaker of the House if Democrats win a majority in the November midterm election, used his remarks to confront what he called growing extremism directed at LGBTQ+ people.

"In this moment of great peril, let me be clear," Jeffries said. "House Democrats will always stand proudly with the LGBTQ+ community. Always and forever."

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Nancy Pelosi speaking to the audience at the National Pride Gala hosted by Equality PAC.Jon Fleming Photography

He specifically included transgender Americans in that promise. "America cannot be the best version of herself until every single member of the LGBTQ+ community and every single transgender American is free from bigotry, hatred, and discrimination," Jeffries said.

The Democratic leader also honored the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre as the nation approaches the 10th anniversary of the Orlando attack on Friday.

"We will always remember the 49," Jeffries said.

Pelosi, who has been one of Congress's most prominent LGBTQ rights champions for decades, drew some of the loudest applause of the night while recounting battles over hate crimes legislation and marriage equality.

She recalled pressure to remove transgender protections from what became the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in order to secure passage.

"We won't pass it a hundred years if we take out trans," Pelosi said. "We're never bringing out a bill" that leaves transgender people behind.

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Actors Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin accept the Nancy Pelosi Allyship award.Jon Fleming Photography

Rinna and Hamlin accepted Equality PAC's Nancy Pelosi Allyship Award and spoke about their decades-long connections to the LGBTQ community.

"My best friends are gay and trans, and I love them," Rinna told attendees. "I feel it's important to be an ally because it's been proven over and over again throughout history that any and all efforts are always stronger with allies."

Hamlin reflected on starring in “Making Love”, the groundbreaking 1982 film centered on a gay relationship, despite warnings that it could end his career.

"It was a story that needed to be told," Hamlin said. More than four decades later, he added, strangers still approach him to say the film changed their lives.

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Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney spoke about storytelling as he acceted the Game Changer Award.Jon Fleming Photography

Tierney's recognition highlighted the power of storytelling at a moment when LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender Americans, have become political targets.

In an interview with The Advocate at a reception before the gala, Tierney said the success of Heated Rivalry demonstrates that the political attacks dominating headlines do not necessarily reflect how most people feel about queer people.

"I think that we're being targeted because it's a good way for people to raise money off blaming us for things that have nothing to do with us," Tierney said. "I think that we're scapegoated a lot."

At the same time, he said, the overwhelmingly positive response to a series centered on a queer love story offers reason for optimism.

"Most people don't actually have any real negative feelings about queer people," Tierney told The Advocate. "When you present love, people want to watch it the same way they would if it was a great straight love story."

During his acceptance speech, Tierney noted that Heated Rivalry has attracted a largely straight audience and said its popularity proves that stories about queer people are ultimately stories about human connection.

Darlene Love performs at the 2026 Equality PAC National Pride Gala.Jon Fleming Photography

"A show about queer people getting to love each other out in the open, out in the sunshine, is something that actually inspires love in everybody," he told the crowd.

Asked what he would tell young LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender youth, struggling through the current political climate, Tierney offered perhaps the simplest message of the night.

“I would say particularly to trans kids, we love you guys, and please hang in there,” Tierney told The Advocate. “It'll get better. Find your people. Get out of the toxic places where you are.”

He added, “I know it's very tempting to tell young people to come out. I don't say that. I don't think that's the right thing to tell them. I tell them to find safety. Find a safe place, and that means waiting for university. I get it. It's not fun. Duck and cover until you have to, but go find safety and go find your people because we're out there and we will love you and we will embrace you and your lives matter.”