The International Imperial Court System and National LGBTQ Task Force will honor Broadway playwright Terrence McNally as one of the 2023 LGBTQ Wall of Honor inductees at the Stonewall Inn. The Wall of Honor posthumously recognizes LGBTQ activists, artists and others who aided the ongoing fight for LGBTQ liberation. The ceremony will take place at the Inn on June 22 at 6:30 p.m.
McNally, who died on March 24, 2020, was a four-time Tony Award-winning playwright and a recipient of the Tony for lifetime achievement. During his career, he penned the Tony-winning Best Plays “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Master Class,” as well as “Mothers and Sons,” “It’s Only a Play,” “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” and more. McNally also wrote the Tony-winning books for the musicals “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and “Ragtime” in addition to the scripts for musicals like “The Full Monty” and “Anastasia.” McNally’s work largely centered on the need for human connection.
McNally is one of few Broadway names on the illustrious Wall; Broadway composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim was added last year.
Also being honored by the National LGBTQ Task Force this year are Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan, drag star Heklina, activist Achebe Betty Powell, art patron J. Frederic “Fritz” Lohman, drag star Darcelle XV and transgender activist Gloria Allen.
“As we reflect on 50 years of hard-won progress, we hold tight to the fact that we not only fight for rights, we fight for people,” Kierra Johnson, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, said in a statement. “The honorees this year not only showcase the beautiful diversity of our movement, but also embody this commitment to community and to each other.”
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. The International Imperial Court System is the oldest LGBTQ service organization in the world.
