The second annual Speak Out “I AM AWARDS" took place in Washington, DC at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, hosted by Nicco Annan (Uncle Clifford on “P-Valley”) and Jack Mizrahi (Producer of FX “Pose” and HBO Max “Legendary”). Many fabulous stars like Obio Jones, Hope Giselle, Twiggy Pucci Garcon, Greg Mathis and Elliot Cooper gathered to grace the red carpet, represent the LGBTQ community and share what to look forward to next in their careers.
Carrying the torch to create a space to honor the community, Founder and Executive Director Antonio Driver blessed the red carpet in a pink suit. “This is one of the reasons why we have this awards. There is so much going on, there is so much darkness and in that you can get caught up in these dark rooms”, says Driver.
Terell Carter, who’s featured in Tyler Perry’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman '' and Cam Anthony, Season 20 winner of “The Voice” both performed live at this year’s show.
The show honored many people, including Judge Mathis who was presented the “Ally Award” and female impersonator Shi-Queeta Lee who was this year’s recipient of “The Legacy Award."
The annual black-tie-gala is "designed to celebrate Black Queer Excellence," and hits the mark each year.
A complete list of 2023 Honorees, presenters and attendees is below, ongoing with photos from the event:
Antonio Driver - SpeakOut, Inc, Executive Director
Patrik-Ian Polk - Director/Writer
Darryl Stephens, Cast of Noah’s Arc
Christopher Vincent, Cast of Noah’s Arc
Jensen Atwood, Cast of Noah’s Arc
Rodney Chester, Cast of Noah’s Arc
Obio Jones, Social Media Influencer
Philaye, Social Media Influencer
Jack Mizrahi, Actor and Producer
Cam Anthony, The Voice Winner | Season 21
Terrell Carter, Actor and Singer
Nicco Annan, Actor P-Valley
Emery Lavell, Actor
Shi-Queeta Lee, Celebrity Impersonator
Dominque Morgan, Author, Activist and Musician
George M Johnson, New York Times Best Selling author
Twiggy Garcon, Producer, Creator
Greg Mathis Jr. and Elliott Cooper, Mathis Family Matters
Monroe Alise, Trans Activist and Actress
Hope Giselle, Advocate and Social Media Influencer
Bishop O.C. Allen, Presiding Bishop (Vision Cathedral of Atlanta)
Darwin Thompson, Gilead Sciences
Rashad Burgess, Gilead Sciences
PJ Moton-Poole, ViiV Healthcare
For more information on the Gala and the organization (SPEAKOUT Inc.) behind it, visit https://speakoutusa.org.