Hayley Kiyoko and stars come out for Models of Pride summit

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles LGBT Center celebrated the Models of Pride summit with more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ youth and their allies, for a day of community, education, and celebration at the Wallis Annenberg California Science Center in South Los Angeles. 

Hosted by Emmy Award winning social media star, Ruba Wilson aka RubasWorld—LGBTQ+ activist and entertainer Dylan Mulvaney was on hand to accept the Model of Pride Award, an honor given each year to a positive role model uplifting LGBTQ+ youth. Mulvaney sat down for the day’s keynote conversation with the Center’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Phillip Picardi.

Later, Mulvaney returned to the stage to present the Youth Leader of Pride Award to Iziaih Choquette, a proud Center alum with a burgeoning career advocating for queer youth experiencing homelessness.

Mulvaney was joined by trailblazing pop icon Hayley Kiyoko, who received the Artist of Pride Award for her bold representation in music. Kiyoko performed an electrifying set for the audience, followed by a Q&A with the star’s superfans. 

Also joining the event were the House of Marc Jacobs, a ballroom group that opened the stage program, and Queerchata, a Latinx dance ensemble that closed the day.

Lesbian pop star Kiyoko said, “As queer people, we come out many times. We come out to ourselves, and then we’re coming out to family members, and we’re coming out to friends, we’re coming out to the world. And so I think for me, I just kept coming out. And every time I came out, I would cry. And I’d be like, ‘I’m gay!’ and I’d cry. But every time I did it, it was easier. And I loved myself more and more and more. So I encourage you, if you’re scared, to just practice it. Because it’s like self-love. When we practice self-love and self-compassion, we actually start to believe it.”

Kiyoko also had some advice for young people finding their identity: “My advice would be to be gentle with yourselves. I think a lot of us ask ‘Who am I?’ and just expect the answer tomorrow. But I think it’s just about cultivating that conversation with yourself and learning what brings you the most joy and happiness in life. So I just encourage you to be gentle with yourself in your journey of discovering who you are and who you want to be.”