Rainbow Advocacy 2025 Awards Honor 31 Arts Projects, Artists and Advocates in 17 Countries

15th Anniversary Celebration Highlights 18 Short Films, 3 Music Projects, 3 Books, 2 Human Rights Projects, 4 Human Rights Advocates and 1 Pride Community Leader

Marking its 15th anniversary and the official event partnership with WorldPride 2025, Rainbow Advocacy is presenting 31 awards to honorees in the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Ghana, Tanzania, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Australia, Iran and Turkey, highlighting many projects featured in the organization’s 8th annual OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Festival, which included 170+ films from 25+ countries during the 40 day event concluding on the final day of Pride Month.  The awards programs were first launched in 2011 with the first award presented to legendary entertainer Carol Channing in Palm Springs, California.

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OUR PRIDE Shorts & Arts Fest Awards are presented in the categories of Short Film Series, Documentary, Narrative, Animation and Student film productions.  Additional awards are in the categories of Music and Books, as well as “Works In Progress” including three short films and one book, many of which were featured in the WorldPride festival co-presented by the Charter for Compassion.

WorldPride Impact Awards honor WorldPride 2025 projects produced by Washington, DC-based nonprofit Crushing Colonialism for Indigenous arts & storytelling, and Sweden-based Rainbow Riots for a music video featuring drag queen entertainer Lady Bunny and seven Ugandan music and dance artists. An additional award honors Berlin-based Angel Maxine, Ghana’s first out transgender musical artist.

The Troy Perry Legacy Awards include the Medal of Pride honoring Uganda’s first transgender pastor Aggie Dennett Harmon and Ugandan writer / poet / human rights defender Hans Senfuma. The Pride Community Impact Award is presented to Jackette Knightley.

The inaugural Mel White Soul Force Award honors Hendrika Mayora Victoria Kelan,

Indonesia’s first openly transgender public office holder and village mayor.

Awards presentations include:

Kampala, UGANDA: 

Presentations are planned by Kampala-based Kuchu Times Media Group to include Medal of Pride awards honoring Aggie Dennett Harmon and Hans Senfuma.  Rainbow Riots Uganda Team members Ariana Mutoni, Kay, Rhianna, Noel, Shebu, Mahad, and Hush will each receive the WorldPride Impact Award.

San Diego, California, USA: 

The Troy Perry Pride Community Impact Award is presented to Jackette Knightley.  The award presentation is planned for the July 20 San Diego Pride festival in collaboration with San Diego Pride, recipient of the 2022 Troy Perry Pride Community Impact Award.  Jackette will also be receiving San Diego Pride’s Stonewall Award for Arts & Culture.

Habi, INDONESIA:

The Mel White Soul Force Award is an inaugural award presented to Hendrika Mayora Victoria Kelan, Indonesia’s first openly transgender public office holder and village mayor.

2025 RAINBOW ADVOCACY AWARDS

SHORT FILMS

DOCUMENTARY (SERIES): “Queer2Queer” (USA) 

VIDEO POETRY (SERIES): "We Are Not Criminals" (TANZANIA)

VIDEO POETRY (SERIES): "UNSAID: Hairitage" (USA / NIGERIA)

DOCUMENTARY: “UNSUNG: Queer Portraits of Authenticity and the Cost of Its Absence” (USA/SPAIN) 

DOCUMENTARY: “Darcelle: On Life, Love and Dying” (USA) DOCUMENTARY: “There Are Things To Do” (USA)

DOCUMENTARY: “Who I Wasn't” (USA) 

DOCUMENTARY: “Samlingi” (INDIA) (Language: Punjabi)

NARRATIVE: “Hi Mom, It's Me, Lou Lou” (TURKEY)

NARRATIVE: “Uno & Hatago” (NAMIBIA) 

NARRATIVE: “Amida” (IRAN)

ANIMATION: “Echo” (TAIWAN)

NARRATIVE (STUDENT): “Translucent” (GERMANY)

NARRATIVE (STUDENT): “RED HAT” (USA) 

DOCUMENTARY (STUDENT): “What is Social Justice?” (USA) 

 HORROR (STUDENT): “Freight” (USA)

MUSIC

"Forget to Remember: A Storytelling Music Concert" (NETHERLANDS)

Artists: Shishani + Sisterhood

"My Love (is the way it's supposed to be)" (SWEDEN + UGANDA)ARTISTS: Petter Wallenberg + Lady Bunny + Rainbow Riots Uganda Team

"When It's Your Kid" (USA) 

ARTIST: Johnny Schaefer

BOOKS

"Scents of Lavender: Queer Love Through the Ages - In Verse" (USA)AUTHOR: D.C. Wilkinson

"IMMORTAL: The House of Ganymede” (USA)AUTHOR: Robert A. Karl

"Gay Poems for Red States" (USA)AUTHOR: Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

DOCUMENTARY: "Portrait of Pride 2025"  (USA)

DIRECTORS: Sam Gilberg + Harrison Nir

DOCUMENTARY: "The Emerald's Touch” (INDONESIA + AUSTRALIA + CANADA)

DIRECTOR: Alfred Pek / PRODUCER: Melissa Green

DOCUMENTARY: “Hidden Lives” (INDIA)DIRECTOR: Mohan Singh Aulakh

BOOK: "Echos of Grace" (UGANDA)AUTHOR: Aggie Dennett Harmon

WORLDPRIDE IMPACT AWARDS

Crushing Colonialism  (USA)

PRODUCER: Jen Deerinwater

WORLDPRIDE EVENT: Decolonized Beatz

Rainbow Riots (SWEDEN + UGANDA)

FOUNDER: Petter WallenbergWORLDPRIDE PRODUCTION: “"My Love (is the way it's supposed to be)"

Angel Maxine (GERMANY + GHANA)

PROJECT: Kill the Bill 2021-2025

TROY PERRY LEGACY AWARDS

HONOREE: Aggie Dennett Harmon (UGANDA

Medal of Pride

HONOREE: Hans Senfuma (UGANDA)

Medal of Pride

HONOREE: Jackette Knightley (USA)

Pride Community Impact Award

MEL WHITE SOUL FORCE AWARD

HONOREE: Hendrika Mayora Kelan

Indonesia’s First Openly Transgender Politician and Village Mayor