InterPride to Honor Joel Kim Booster, Fran Drescher, and More at Gala

InterPride will honor Joel Kim Booster, Fran Drescher, Laith Ashley, and Pride 365 at its first Global Gala, to be held April 29 in Los Angeles.

InterPride, which has more than 375 member organizations in over 70 countries, helps coordinate the global Pride movement and licenses the WorldPride brand.

“InterPride’s inaugural Global Gala celebrates 40 years of bringing visibility to LGBTQ+ communities across the globe. This year, we’re acknowledging community icons, allies, and activists who represent the spirit of InterPride — bringing LGBTQ+ issues to the forefront by living authentically,” InterPride Co-Presidents Natalie Thompson and Hadi Damien said in a press release. “Joel Kim Booster, Fran Drescher, Laith Ashley, and Pride 365 are being recognized for having gone above and beyond by providing immeasurable support to the community throughout their careers.”

Joel Kim Booster, best known for writing, producing, and starring in Fire Island, will receive the InterPride Spotlight Award for bringing the Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ community into the spotlight and increasing visibility. He is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor who was named one of Time 100’s Next 2022 as an emerging advocate and creative and one of Variety’s Screenwriters to Watch. The New York Times listed him as one of “The Queer Young Comics Redefining American Humor.” He is a star of the Apple TV+ hit comedy Loot; its second season is coming up this year.

Fran Drescher, star of The Nanny and advocate for cancer prevention, will receive the InterPride Ally Award for her support of the LGBTQ+ community. A cancer survivor, she is founder and president of the Cancer Schmancer Movement, which focuses on early detection of the disease and advocacy for prevention and treatment; its services include Fran Vans, which provide free mammograms to low-income women who are underserved or uninsured. In September of 2021, she was elected national president of SAG-AFTRA, the largest entertainment labor union in the world. She is known as an outspoken defender of civil liberties, diversity, and inclusion. A longtime champion of LGBTQ+ civil liberties, she has been honored with the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award and the Stonewall and Liberty Bell Awards.

InterPride will honor Laith Ashley with the InterPride Trailblazer Award for his work in raising awareness around issues facing the transgender community. He is a singer-songwriter, model, actor, and activist who launched his career with ads for Barneys New York in 2014. In 2017, he was the first transgender man to be featured in a Diesel clothing campaign, and in 2020 he was one of the faces of the Abercrombie FIERCE campaign. He released the transmasculine anthem “Like Me” in 2018, and in 2023, he was the male lead in Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze” music video.

LGBTQ+ organization Pride 365 will receive the InterPride Champion Award for its efforts in protecting LGBTQ+ workers around the world. As InterPride’s global partner, Pride 365 inspires organizations to meet the highest standards of inclusion, culture and equality all year round. The organization is at the forefront of creating a world where everyone can be their true and authentic selves and is made up of certified partners who make a public pledge on how they will improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace and contribute to the community in the wider society.

The InterPride Global Gala will be emceed by Emmy Award winner Jai Rodriguez and will feature performances by Deborah Cox and Coco Montrese with DJ Nica Ricci spinning tunes throughout the evening. The evening will be full of music, dance, and stories in honor of the organization’s efforts to advance the global Pride movement and bring social and cultural equity to communities across the globe.

The gala is being produced by Los Angeles-based event and entertainment agency JJLA. It will take place at the Avalon Hollywood Theater and Bardot Lounge. Order tickets here.