Actor and singer Billy Porter and Vanity Fair will receive honors at the Elizabeth Taylor Night of Compassion next month in Beverly Hills, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation announced Thursday.
Porter will receive the Elizabeth Taylor Legacy Award for his advocacy and work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and people affected by HIV/AIDS, according to the foundation.
Vanity Fair will receive the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award for its efforts to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
The Sept. 17 event at The Beverly Hills Hotel will be hosted by CNN’s Laura Coates and feature a performance by Grammy- and Tony-nominated singer and actress Deborah Cox.
“ETAF is honored to celebrate Billy Porter and Vanity Fair at this year’s Elizabeth Taylor Night of Compassion,” foundation Executive Director Catherine Brown said. “Both have used their platforms to raise awareness, inspire change and stand up for communities affected by HIV and AIDS.”
Porter won an Emmy for his role as Pray Tell in the FX series “Pose” and a Tony Award for originating the role of Lola in the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots.” He received another Tony as a producer of “A Strange Loop” and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in 2024 for his activism and contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.
Vanity Fair’s history of HIV/AIDS coverage includes its November 1992 issue featuring Elizabeth Taylor holding a condom. In February, the publication allowed the foundation to take over its website homepage to highlight stigma, discrimination and criminalization affecting people with HIV/AIDS, according to the foundation.
Cox, who is starring in “Titanique” on Broadway, has earned six Top 20 Billboard R&B singles and 13 No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart. She received a Grammy nomination in 2025 for the cast recording of “The Wiz,” in which she starred as Glinda.
The Night of Compassion will also include a reception and an exclusive preview of rare items from the Elizabeth Taylor Archive.
Taylor founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991. The organization supports HIV/AIDS care, prevention, education and treatment access and advocates on behalf of people affected by HIV/AIDS.