Lambda Legal Announces 2017 National Liberty Awards Honorees

NEW YORK – Today, Lambda Legal, the nation’s oldest and largest LGBT legal organization, announced Larry Kramer and Javier Muñoz as this year’s Liberty Award honorees. The Liberty Awards National Dinner honors advocates, activists and allies in the fight for LGBT equality. Larry Kramer will receive the Kevin Cathcart Community Legacy Award, an award named in honor of Lambda Legal’s former Executive Director. Both awards will be presented to Kramer and Muñoz at the annual gala event on May 1st in New York City.

“We are proud to present this year’s Liberty Awards to Larry Kramer and Javier Muñoz – two men who have demonstrated tremendous courage in both their professional and personal lives,” said Rachel B. Tiven, CEO of Lambda Legal. “An icon of our movement, Larry’s voice is as important now as it was at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic—he organized a movement who fought a hostile government. Larry is proof that even in hard times we can make incredible progress. As an out gay man with HIV, Javier’s role as Hamilton speaks old truths to a new generation. By living his truth so openly, Javier is as important a messenger as Alexander Hamilton.”

Information about this year’s honorees:

Larry Kramer is a distinguished American playwright, author and LGBT rights activist, who has been one of the most dynamic and influential forces for political activism, gay rights, public health policy, and AIDS-awareness. He is the co-founder of Gay Men’s Health Crisis, an AIDS service organization, and ACT UP, the legendary AIDS advocacy group.

Javier Muñoz currently stars as the title role in the hit Broadway smash Hamilton.  As an openly gay, HIV-positive man, Muñoz sets a positive example for people who are living with stigma and fear. In 2016, Muñoz was honored with the prestigious OUT100 "Breakout of the Year" award, as well as the Howard Ashman Award by the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Prior to starring in Hamilton, Muñoz starred as the lead role in Broadway's In the Heights.

Lambda Legal’s premier national gala is a testament to the breadth and strength of the LGBT community, drawing attendees from across the country. This year’s awards ceremony will take place on Monday, May 1st at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers in New York City.

For more information on the Awards Dinner or to buy a ticket please visit: http://www.lambdalegal.org/libertyawards

WHAT:                 Lambda Legal’s Liberty Awards National Dinner

HONOREES:         Larry Kramer, playwright and LGBT rights activist & Javier Muñoz, Broadway actor

WHEN:                 Monday, May 1, 2017 at 6pm ET

WHERE:               Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers, 23rd Street and The West Side Highway, New York, NY 10011