The people who helped build Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ community and those creating its future will take center stage when the Pittsburgh Equality Center hosts its second annual Pittsburgh Equality Gala on Friday, November 13, at the Kamin Science Center on the North Shore.
This year’s celebration, themed “A Home for the Next 50 Years,” will recognize five individuals whose contributions span decades of LGBTQ+ advocacy, civil rights protections, legal representation, and the creation of welcoming spaces for queer Pittsburghers.
The 2026 honorees are Kathi R. Boyle, who will receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award; attorney Kathleen D. Schneider, also receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award; Rachel S. Shepherd, named Ally of the Year; and Samm and Aerin Adams-Fuchs, the married couple behind Garfield’s The Soft Spot, who will share the Community Members of the Year honor.
“Every one of these honorees made room for someone who didn’t have a place,” said Pittsburgh Equality Center Board President Ray Sidney-Smith in the announcement.
“Honoring them together is how we remember what our community was built on, and it’s a promise that Pittsburgh Equality Center will keep building that kind of room for the next generation.”
Honoring a Legacy of Care and Advocacy
Kathi R. Boyle, who died May 31, 2026, will be remembered with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for more than four decades of advocacy and service to marginalized communities.
As executive director of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, now known as Allies for Health + Wellbeing, Boyle helped expand the organization’s HIV/AIDS response to better serve women, Black communities, and young Black gay men.
Her leadership also extended into Pittsburgh’s ballroom community, providing space for local ballroom houses at a time when welcoming venues were difficult to find.
Later in her career, Boyle focused on the needs of LGBTQ+ older adults, championing inclusive services and housing opportunities. Her advocacy helped lay the groundwork for Mosaic Apartments in Oakland, which opened in November 2025 as Western Pennsylvania’s first LGBTQ+-friendly affordable senior housing community.
Boyle was also recognized as a Pittsburgh Pride Grand Marshal in 2011.
Her wife, Betty Hill, will accept the award on her behalf.
Fellow Lifetime Achievement honoree Kathleen D. Schneider has spent more than 30 years helping LGBTQ+ Pittsburghers navigate legal systems that historically failed to recognize or protect their relationships and families.
An attorney and certified public accountant based in Regent Square, Schneider has assisted same-sex couples with adoption, estate planning, and divorce, while helping transgender clients navigate legal name and gender-marker changes.
Her influence also reaches into Pittsburgh’s lesbian and feminist history.
Schneider was among the women involved in Bloomers, the South Side bar, café, and performance space that became an important gathering place for lesbian and feminist communities during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Her broader community involvement has included the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on LGBTQ Issues, the Allegheny County Bar Association’s LGBT Committee, Renaissance City Choir, and GALA Choruses.
Together, Boyle and Schneider’s recognition highlights the often-unseen work of building community infrastructure, from legal protections and healthcare access to spaces where LGBTQ+ Pittsburghers could gather, organize, and find support.
Protecting Civil Rights in Pittsburgh
Rachel S. Shepherd, executive director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, will receive the Ally of the Year Award.
Shepherd leads the city agency responsible for investigating discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, including cases involving sexual orientation and gender identity.
A third-generation City of Pittsburgh employee, Shepherd joined the Commission in 2016 and worked her way into its leadership.
Under her direction, the Commission has emphasized community engagement and education, including outreach at Pittsburgh Pride and other LGBTQ+ events.
Her recognition comes at a time when questions about LGBTQ+ civil rights protections, particularly those affecting transgender and gender-diverse people, remain central to political and legal debates across the country.
The Commission’s work serves as a reminder that local civil rights protections continue to matter, even as federal policies and interpretations change.
Creating the Queer Spaces Pittsburgh Needs Now
While this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards recognize decades of community-building, the Community Members of the Year honor celebrates a newer addition to Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ community.
Samm and Aerin Adams-Fuchs, founders of The Soft Spot in Garfield, will be recognized for creating a sapphic-centered community gathering place that offers an alternative to traditional nightlife.
Opened in early 2026 on Penn Avenue, The Soft Spot was designed as an intentionally sober, accessible space where queer people can connect without alcohol being the center of the experience.
The café welcomes people under 21, families, and community members looking for a place to gather outside of bars and clubs.
Built with crowdfunding and volunteer support, The Soft Spot has hosted poetry readings, craft nights, support groups, and community celebrations, including a Lesbian Day of Visibility gathering.
The couple has also been outspoken about the importance of queer visibility and the need for spaces where LGBTQ+ people can find connection amid growing political hostility.
Their recognition underscores an ongoing conversation within Pittsburgh’s queer community: what does it take to create spaces that are not only welcoming, but accessible, sustainable, and genuinely inclusive across generations?
In many ways, their work carries forward the same community-building tradition represented by this year’s Lifetime Achievement honorees.
Event Details: 2026 Pittsburgh Equality Gala
Date: Friday, November 13, 2026
Location: Kamin Science Center, 1 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: VIP reception begins at 6 p.m.; general admission begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets: General admission is $125; VIP admission is $300. Tables of 10 are also available.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Interested organizations can contact Raymond Sidney-Smith at ray@pghequalitycenter.org.
