Direct from New York City, renowned performance artist and cabaret singer Joey Arias will take the stage at the inaugural Diversity Honors, co-presented by the Harvey Milk Foundation and The Pride Center at Equality Park, and hosted by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 9. This milestone event will recognize national honorees Judy and Dennis Shepard, co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, plus several South Florida leaders who have made a significant impact on improving the quality of life for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community.
A fixture of New York City’s vibrant downtown performance scene for over 30 years, Joey Arias is a bona fide NYC icon. Arias lived and worked with legendary musician Klaus Nomi until Nomi’s death in 1983. Since then, he has gained fame in his own right as a performance artist, cabaret singer and drag artist. From outrageous performances at seminal New York nightclubs Jackie 60 and Squeezebox to the now-legendary nights at Bar d’O where he held court with Raven-O and Sherry Vine, Arias has distinguished himself with scandalous wit, sleek style and an extraordinary voice evocative of Lady Day, yet, uniquely his own.
In a recent review by the New York Times, author Stephen Holden lauds Arias’ performance of Billie Holiday as “full of enthusiasm” and his up tempo songs “conveyed a kittenish delight that brought the program’s darker moments into sharper relief.” Time Out London shared “Eerie, entrancing, filthy and phenomenally talented, Arias is not to be missed,” Time Out New York gushed, “Joey Arias is a demigod of the demimonde” and the New York Daily News proclaimed Arias as a “…romantic, post-modern, transgender wonder.”
Emceed by WSVN-TV’s Craig Stevens, the Diversity Honors gala will also celebrate South Florida forces for change including international recording artist Deborah Cox, President and Founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Rand Hoch, nationally recognized teen activist and honorary co-founder of the Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation Jazz Jennings, celebrity entertainer Elaine Lancaster (James Davis), CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Florida Lillian Tamayo, 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida Miami Judge William Thomas and Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Dean Trantalis.
Another highlight of the evening will be a compelling speech about the need for more education, greater acceptance and advocacy for equal rights delivered by Stuart Milk,co-founder and president of the Harvey Milk Foundation and nephew of the late civil rights icon, Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States who was assassinated shortly after winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk has spearheaded or played a vital role in award winning programing in 47 countries in support of the LGBT community and human rights. For more than a decade, he has been recognized with numerous global awards for his tireless volunteer leadership in some of the most challenging human rights environments on five continents.
Honorary event hosts will include Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Senator Bill Nelson, City of Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, Broward County Mayor Tim Ryan and City of Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick.
Diversity Honors sponsors include Serendipity Foundation, Ketel One, Whole Foods, Johnnie Walker, WSVN-TV, GPR | Goodman Public Relations, Over the Top Rental Linens, Metro Media Works and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. Media sponsors include Hotspots Magazine, Agenda, Genre Latino, Mark Griffin, Guy Magazine, Mark’s List, She Magazine, South Florida Gay News, The Mirror and Wire.
Tickets for Diversity Honors are $150 per person. For reservations, visitwww.diversityhonors.com.