Michael Kors and Sarah McBride Tell Us How to Celebrate Pride While the World Burns

MONDAY 6:28 PM JUNE 2, 2025 WEST VILLAGE

For many generations of New Yorkers, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Greenwich Village has been more than just a one-stop shop for lifesaving health services. Take it from Michael Kors, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s 11th annual “Fashion Centered” fête on Monday evening. “This is a magical, hallowed spot,” the designer told our editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg. “People who are in need of community and in need of help know they can come here.” And the cherry on top? The LGBT Center has “the best bathroom in New York City,” at least according to Ladyfag. To mark the beginning of Pride Month, she joined us on the red carpet alongside Mr. Kors, Richie Shazam, and Congresswoman Sarah McBride to reveal their Pride month anthems and best advice for fighting back against Donald Trump.

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SARAH McBRIDE, CONGRESSWOMAN

 

MEL OTTENBERG: How are you doing?

SARAH MCBRIDE: Great. How are you?

OTTENBERG: I’m fantastic. Welcome to New York.

MCBRIDE: It’s great to be here. It’s almost as good as Delaware.

OTTENBERG: Close second.

MCBRIDE: That’s right.

OTTENBERG: So it’s Pride Month. We have to celebrate no matter what, right?

MCBRIDE: That’s exactly right. Indeed, Pride Month is a celebration of our lives even in the face of hatred and challenges. That’s what it was founded on, that’s what it’s been forged in, and that’s what we do this month.

OTTENBERG: And we’ve got to do it for the kids. I always think, “What are we supposed to do? Skip Pride because it doesn’t feel as celebratory as it did in the past?” I don’t know.

MCBRIDE: We’re returning to our roots in so many ways right now. It’s a challenging Pride Month. It’s a scary Pride Month. It’s been a scary year for so many in our community, but always, amid our biggest challenges, we take our most significant steps forward. That’s what we recommit ourselves to this Pride Month, even if the celebration this year feels a little bit different.

OTTENBERG: Do you have a Pride Month anthem?

MCBRIDE: My current anthem, just in general, is Taylor Swift’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” Which feels apt for the LGBTQ experience in this moment.

OTTENBERG: We’re not getting a better answer from that. So, why is the LGBT Center known?

MCBRIDE: Well, one of the things that we celebrate during Pride Month is the power of community. This center not only forged community, but also helped to forge progress with this community. I think, at this moment, it’s never been more important for us to find comfort and safety and sanctuary in physical places like this, in communities built in places like this, and to then use that community to find strength, unity, purpose, and therefore, progress.

OTTENBERG: Fantastic. How do we, the people, fight back against this administration?

MCBRIDE: Well, look, there are a whole host of different ways for people to fight back. One, calling your member of Congress, letting them know your position on issues that are before Congress, writing op-eds, writing letters, and writing to your elected officials is key. Sharing your story remains pivotal. Our community has made progress because of the power of our proximity, because we allow ourselves to be seen in our humanity. In so many ways, we’re returning to our roots this Pride Month. But that also means returning to the basics and continuing to share our stories and educate the country about what it means to be LGBTQ. Sharing our stories helps reinforce for people that these debates aren’t about some abstract issue, but about real people who want to live and love freely and openly.

OTTENBERG: Thank you. One more question. Who is your ultimate queer icon?

MCBRIDE: Oh my goodness. Well, Bette Midler is who we’re honoring tonight. Even though she’s not queer, she’s a queer icon.

OTTENBERG: She certainly is.

MCBRIDE: Harvey Milk is obviously an inspiration to me. Tammy Baldwin is an inspiration to me. Some of those folks who have blazed the trails that have made my service possible within the community.

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MICHAEL KORS, FASHION DESIGNER

 

MEL OTTENBERG: Hey, Michael Kors, you legend. Why is the LGBT Center important? 

MICHAEL KORS: This is a magical, hallowed spot. People who are in need of community and in need of help know they can come here. And we’ve got to protect them.

OTTENBERG: Absolutely. What is your Pride anthem?

KORS: Am I going to be so goddamn cliché? Of course, “I Will Survive.” I mean, come on.

OTTENBERG: Why didn’t anyone say that?

KORS: I mean, please.

OTTENBERG: Well, Michael Kors said it. How do we fight back against the current administration, Michael?

KORS: Listen, the reality is number one, vote. Tell everyone you know to vote. Vote locally. Vote nationally. Vote statewide. Use your voice. And whether it’s a dollar or a thousand dollars, whatever it is, spend your money. Spend your money on places that matter and people who count.

OTTENBERG: How are you celebrating Pride this year?

KORS: What could be better than being here at the Center with Bette Midler? That’s the perfect way to start Pride. But you know what? I don’t celebrate Pride just as a month; I celebrate Pride as a lifestyle.

OTTENBERG: Yeah, 365.

KORS: Totally.

OTTENBERG: 24/7.

KORS: Totally!

OTTENBERG: Who is your ultimate gay icon?

KORS: Oh my god. The list is intense.

OTTENBERG: You can name 17 people, or just one. 

KORS: I run the gamut from Larry Kramer—without whom, we wouldn’t all be here—to Pete Buttigieg to RuPaul. The list goes on and on. Harvey Fierstein. These people are the rule-breakers.

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RICHIE SHAZAM, MODEL AND PHOTOGRAPHER

 

MEL OTTENBERG: What are we wearing?

RICHIE SHAZAM: What does it look like I’m wearing?

OTTENBERG: Are you wearing Supreme, bitch?

SHAZAM: Hello!

OTTENBERG: Hello!

SHAZAM: A little custom, one of one.

OTTENBERG: You look fucking good. Richie Shazam is a friend of Interview and of mine and of the Center’s. Why is the LGBT Center important?

SHAZAM: LGBT Center is important because it provides vital resources for the queens like myself. And it provides community. And as someone that’s been coming here since I was 15 years old, it has given me a reason to live, survive, and sing.

OTTENBERG: What’s your Pride Month anthem, Richie Shazam?

SHAZAM: Oh, that’s hard. I would say hydrate, hang out with my friends, prioritize my friends, and also party, you know?

OTTENBERG: But when you’re partying, what’s your anthem?

SHAZAM: Honestly, “Stereo Love.” It’s my favorite song.

OTTENBERG: How do we fight back against the current administration?

SHAZAM: We fight back by doing exactly what we’re supposed to do: taking up a lot of space, being super vocal, and always entering uncomfortable situations with your head held high. I think that we actually flourish the most when faced with adversity.

OTTENBERG: This year doesn’t feel as celebratory to me, but I’m so happy to be here tonight. How are we celebrating Pride this year?

SHAZAM: We’re celebrating Pride this year by being outside.

OTTENBERG: I love that answer. What are LGBT people better at than straight people, Richie Shazam?

SHAZAM: Everything. Literally everything. We know this. We don’t even have to say that because we don’t want to hurt their feelings. They have a lot of feelings.

OTTENBERG: Who is your ultimate queer icon Richie Shazam?

SHAZAM: Amanda Lepore. When I see her, it gives me the might to exist.

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DARA, STYLIST

 

DARA: Hi, gays!

MEL OTTENBERG: Hi, what’s your name?

DARA: I’m Dara.

OTTENBERG: Dara, why is the LGBT Center important?

DARA: Because the gays need a home, and—

OTTENBERG: And this is it.

DARA: It’s important because gays are important and LGBT people are important.

OTTENBERG: What is your Pride month anthem, Dara?

DARA: Oh, the Cupcakke song. “Rolling with the LGBT.”

OTTENBERG: Oh.

DARA: You know that song?

OTTENBERG: No.

DARA: We’ll play it for you later.

OTTENBERG: How do we fight back against the current administration?

DARA: Like this. [Poses]

OTTENBERG: Yes. Who is your icon, Dara?

DARA: Liza Minnelli. 

OTTENBERG: We met Liza Minnelli together.

DARA: We met Liza last year. And she wore gloves. We had Bottega make her custom gloves.

OTTENBERG: Yes, and she wore them. What are LGBT people better at than straight people?

DARA: Oh my god. Getting dressed.

OTTENBERG: How are you celebrating Pride this year, Dara?

DARA: Oh, I hope I get on a float. I think we both need to be on a float this year.

OTTENBERG: Let’s get on a float.

DARA: Who wants to put us on a float? Put us on a float. I can throw t-shirts. We can flash people. 

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LADYFAG, PERFORMER AND PRODUCER

 

MEL OTTENBERG: Ladyfag–

LADYFAG: That’s a bad word.

OTTENBERG: They’re never taking “fag” away from me.

LADYFAG: Or me.

OTTENBERG: Ladyfag, who’s your ultimate queer icon?

LADYFAG: Mel Ottenberg.

OTTENBERG: Great. Why is the LGBT Center important?

LADYFAG: People like us feel comfortable in who we are, but there’s a lot of young gay people who need this center every single day, and we should honor that. And they have the best bathroom in New York City.

OTTENBERG: We should be doing these interviews there, but we’re not.

LADYFAG: Why not? That would be iconic.

OTTENBERG: What is your Pride Month anthem? 

LADYFAG: “Drums of Death” by FKAtwigs. Happy Pride!

OTTENBERG: How are you celebrating pride this year?

LADYFAG: By throwing LadyLand Festival.

OTTENBERG: On the 28th?

LADYFAG: June 27th and 28th. Be there. 

OTTENBERG: How do we fight back against the current administration?

LADYFAG: By being faggier than ever and fighting for other faggots, too. Can I say that?

OTTENBERG: This is Interview magazine. You can abso-fucking-lutely say that.

LADYFAG: Oh, okay. Great.

OTTENBERG: What are LGBT people better at than straight people?

LADYFAG: Everything.