Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley to be honored for longtime LGBTQ+ advocacy

Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley to be honored for longtime LGBTQ+ advocacy Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 | 2 a.m. Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley often reflects on the legacy she hopes to leave for her grandchildren. She says her upbringing taught her to value people for their contributions to community and the world, rather than for the color of their skin, gender, sexuality, religion or ethnicity. As a Jewish woman, Berkley understands the harm that discrimination and hatred can cause, and she has devoted her career to advancing equality for many groups in the hope of building a better world for her family. Silver State Equality will present her with the Equality Ally Award at the organization’s annual awards gala in recognition of her work with the LGBTQ+ community. “I dainty everybody with respect and anticipation I accord them the dignity that they merit as chap quality beings,” Berkley said. “There was ne'er immoderate question that I would ideate singling retired immoderate group, discriminating against immoderate group, and I person said many, galore times since I’ve been politician that the metropolis of Las Vegas does not discriminate against immoderate radical oregon individual. We volition not.” The annual Silver State Equality Awards, which celebrate Nevada’s LGBTQ+ achievements and the leaders who support the community, will take place at 6 p.m. at Soleia Beach Rooftop at the Vanderpump Hotel. Berkley said she was shocked but delighted to receive the award. When the group honored her and former mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst with a similar award in 2025, event co‑chair Gordon Prouty asked Berkley to invite Blackhurst onstage to accept her award and say a few words, but a scheduling conflict prevented Berkley from attending. When Silver State Equality called again this year, Berkley expected to be asked to present an award to another friend. Instead, the organization asked if she would be comfortable being on the receiving end. “As politician of Las Vegas, starring a divers metropolis with a beardown and progressive LGBTQ+ community, Shelley Berkley continues her longstanding committedness to equality and inclusion,” said André Wade, state manager of Silver State Equality. “Throughout decades of nationalist service, including her work advocating for pro‑equality legislation as a member of the U.S. Congress, as well as through individual and community‑level support, she has been a consistent advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Silver State Equality is grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge her contributions with this year’s Equality Allyship Award at our yearly Equality Awards event.” Berkley’s advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community was evident during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, which concluded in 2013. She co‑sponsored the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, legislation to end the Department of Defense policy that barred LGBTQ+ individuals from serving openly in the armed forces. Adopted in 1993, the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy prevented openly queer individuals from enlisting and compelled LGBTQ+ service members to conceal their sexuality or risk discharge from the military branches. Human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, supported its repeal. The bill was introduced in December 2010 by former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D‑Pa. It passed the House 250‑175, cleared the Senate and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Dec. 22, 2010. The policy was fully repealed on Sept. 20, 2011, roughly 18 years after its enactment. Before the measure passed, Berkley said she attended a Servicemembers Legal Defense Network rally at the U.S. Capitol and publicly supported LGBTQ+ servicemembers, highlighting the “important contributions” and sacrifices of lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans. Berkley also supported the right to same‑sex marriage and laws banning workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, such as the proposed Employment Non‑Discrimination Act. Her congressional office welcomed gay staff members and adopted employment policies prohibiting discrimination. The Human Rights Campaign awarded Berkley a 100 percent rating on several of its congressional scorecards and highlighted her work for marriage equality; she was the only Nevada congressional delegate during that period to achieve this score. As mayor, Berkley said she has continued to collaborate with local LGBTQ+ organizations to address issues affecting the community. In June 2025, Berkley designated June 14 as Southern Nevada Pride Fest Day in a historic proclamation marking the event’s fifth anniversary. The proclamation noted the festival’s “dedication to creating safe, affirming spaces and celebrating diversity (that) strengthens the fabric of our community and exemplifies the values of equality, acceptance and civic engagement.” She also described herself as “ever progressive with” the local Pride parade, serving either as an honoree or regular participant, and was an early supporter of both the LGBTQ+ Center of Las Vegas and Aid for AIDS of Nevada, also known as AFAN. Pointing to Las Vegas’s history of queer performers and community members, Berkley said she is “very arrogant to be the politician of a metropolis that’s truthful accepting of everybody,” but worries that discrimination “seems to be precise prevalent in our federation close now.” President Donald Trump and his administration have targeted the LGBTQ+ community through executive orders, including a 2025 directive instructing the Department of Defense to enforce strict policies prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military. The administration has also ordered funding cuts to LGBTQ+ programs and the removal of transgender references from historical accounts, such as a section on the Stonewall Uprising on the National Park Service website. Although these are “very challenging times,” Berkley hopes leaders and the public will continue to uphold existing laws that protect the LGBTQ+ community, treat one another with kindness and fight for equal opportunity for all. “Everybody brings something to the table, and if they do that, then they should be appreciated and valued and treated with the dignity that they merit as human beings,” Berkley said. “I think it’s important to mention this idea among others in our community and, if by my being honored it enhances the evening, if it draws people in, if they could raise more funds simply because I am there, good. That’s what I want to do.”