2017 | EQUALITY NC FOUNDATION GALA | OCT 21
GALA HOME | KEYNOTE | AWARD WINNERS
Thank you to our 2017 Equality Gala Sponsors!
Equality NC Foundation's eleventh annual Equality Gala returned Saturday, October 21, 2017, in beautiful downtown Raleigh. This premier statewide Equality event brought a record numbers of LGBTQ North Carolinians and allies to the capital city for an all-new, evening celebration of our recent victories that will set the stage for another unprecedented year of quality Equality engagement.
2017 Equality Gala Keynote | Raffi Freedman-Gurspan
Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is the Director of External Relations at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), where she oversees public education and field organizing operations. She was both a Senior Associate Director for Public Engagement, where she served as the primary liaison to the LGBTQ community, and Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel at the White House from 2015-2017.
Raffi was also the first openly transgender staffer to work at the White House. She currently sits on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council as an appointee named by President Barack Obama. Raffi has worked in non-profit and government sectors for nearly a decade. A graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Raffi was adopted from Honduras and grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Every year, Equality NC Foundation honors exceptional leaders who have made a real impact on the LGBTQ community in North Carolina and beyond. Each of these awards is given to honorees that have been tirelessly dedicated to securing a lived equality for all North Carolinians. It is our honor and privilege to recognize the following champions of equality on October 21. Click here to learn more...
The Equality Gala is Equality NC Foundation's annual fundraiser and our opportunity to celebrate the work we do together with our supporters across North Carolina and beyond. During one great night, we also present our annual awards to prominent leaders helping to build a state of Equality.
Revisit the 2016 Equality Gala.
Equality NC Foundation's tenth annual Equality Gala returned Saturday, October 15, 2016, in beautiful downtown Raleigh. This premier statewide Equality event brought record numbers of LGBTQ North Carolinians and allies together for an evening celebration of the 2016 Equality Award Winners, the continued fight against the deeply discriminatory HB2 and more that set the stage for another unprecedented year of quality Equality engagement.
Revisit the 2015 Equality Gala.
Equality NC Foundation's ninth annual Equality Gala returned Saturday, November 21, 2015, in beautiful downtown Raleigh (Marriott City Center, 500 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC). This premier statewide Equality event brought record numbers of LGBT North Carolinians and allies together for an all-new, home grown evening celebration of our recent victories around defeating the so called "Religious Refusal" bill and more that set the stage for another unprecedented year of quality Equality engagement.
Revisit the 2014 Equality Gala.
Equality NC Foundation's eighth annual Equality Gala was Saturday, November 22, 2014, in beautiful downtown Greensboro (The Empire Room, 203 S. Elm St Greensboro, NC 27401). This premier statewide Equality event brought record numbers of LGBT North Carolinians and allies together for our celebration of newfound marriage equality and unforgettable appearances by Kristin Beck, Wade Davis, and award-winners from our unprecedented year of quality Equality activism.