Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 29. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Vice President Kamala Harris committed to fighting the “powerful forces trying to take our country backwards” in prepared remarks Oct. 29 during the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in D.C.
“The very existence of LGBTQ+ people is under assault,” Harris said from the stage of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. She decried the “epidemic of hate” that has gripped this country while celebrating the intersectional work that has been undertaken by HRC and the Biden-Harris administration.
“This next chapter of HRC is going to center liberty and equality for all, with no exceptions,” incoming HRC President Kelley Robinson said. Speaking just before the vice president’s address, she rejected incrementalism and highlighted the importance of strengthening the movement with coalition building and grassroots organizing.
Robison — who after taking the helm on Nov. 28 will be the first Black queer woman to lead America’s largest LGBTQ organization — previously served as executive director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She was introduced on stage by Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson.
Other speakers from HRC rounded out the program along with the evening’s honorees, who included Abbi Jacobson, Chanté Adams and George Takei.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was slated to headline the national dinner together with the vice president, but a spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Blade on Friday that she would not be able to attend.
Early that morning, an intruder violently assaulted Pelosi’s husband after breaking into the couple’s San Francisco home. Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time. Paul Pelosi, 82, was hospitalized with a skull fracture but is expected to make a full recovery.
On Saturday, Nancy Pelosi’s office published a “Dear colleague” letter thanking fellow members for their support and expressing gratitude for the “quick response” of law enforcement and emergency services personnel.
Harris began her comments by denouncing the “vicious attack” on Paul Pelosi. It “speaks to what HRC stands for, which is the work that we will still need to do to fight hate” while sending the message that there is no place for political violence in America, she said.
“Our HRC family is thinking of Speaker Pelosi, her husband and her family — and sending love and support their way,” HRC Interim President Joni Madison tweeted on Friday. Robinson shared the message on Twitter, adding her own words of encouragement and well-wishes.
The National Dinner is HRC’s largest annual fundraiser. The organization has hosted the event each year since 1997, apart from a two-year hiatus from 2020 to 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous speakers have included Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Maya Angelou, John Lewis, Rosie O’Donnell and Sally Field.
Madison has led HRC since the termination of former President Alphonso David last year over his alleged involvement in helping to cover up sexual harassment allegations against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his tenure as Cuomo’s chief counsel.
