This recognition is humbling beyond words. Being honored alongside the world's most influential voices is something I never dreamed of growing up young Black and queer on the Southside of Chicago. At a young age, I saw firsthand the devastating impact of discrimination and bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community. This honor reminds me of the countless brave individuals who fought tooth and nail to pave the way for progress. As president of the Human Rights Campaign, I carry the stories and struggles of social justice warriors who came before me – their courage in the face of adversity and their refusal to be silenced by hatred.

“We've come a long way, but the fight is far from over as we face a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans. The challenges before us are immense, and the battle for freedom and liberation rages on. At HRC, we feel the weight of this responsibility every single day, knowing that lives hang in the balance and that futures are at stake. This recognition is bigger than me. It's about the power of community. It's about resilience. It's about our community’s undying belief that we can build a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow for everyone.

I am deeply proud of my friend and history-maker, Kelley Robinson. As a proud Black queer immigrant woman, I am grateful to have Kelley leading the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We are seeing unprecedented attacks on the LGBTQ+ community across the country and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Kelley’s approach has breathed new life into the Human Rights Campaign and our broader LGBTQ+ community, mobilizing and inspiring people to turn their pain and grief into action. And in doing so, Kelley serves as a mentor and influential force upon a new generation of grassroots activists and leaders.

As president of Planned Parenthood, there was nothing better than spending time with the young organizers whose energy and purpose drove so much of our work - and nobody embodied that spirit more fiercely than Kelley Robinson.

From the first time I met her - likely with a megaphone in hand and a grin on her face - I saw the spark of something special in this young woman from Chicago. Joyful, determined, and magnetic, she was the kind of leader who made you want to follow her anywhere.

Today, that spark has turned into a fire fueling a movement. Now as Human Rights Campaign President, Kelley is at the helm of the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the country, bringing people together across communities and identities to build power. At this pivotal moment in history, there is no one I’d rather be cheering on as she stands up to the forces trying to erode our rights and connects us in the shared struggle for LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and racial justice.

All these years later, I love seeing a rising generation of organizers drawing inspiration from Kelley, their own megaphones in hand, learning from the best.

As a 2023 Time100 Honoree, I congratulate Kelley. I first connected with her through my leadership at Translash. In Kelley I found a troublemaker and co-conspirator personally committed to shifting the momentum toward justice. In her work, Kelley Robinson seeks to help make that change become a reality. Everyone must show up for those at the margins now because what happens at the margins won’t stay there. Kelley knows this at her core and works tirelessly—day in and day out—with this purpose.