Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley to receive Equality Ally Award for longtime LGBTQ+ advocacy

# What happened Silver State Equality will present Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley with its Equality Ally Award during the group's annual awards gala on Sept. 25. The event begins at 6 p.m. at Soleia Beach Rooftop at the Vanderpump Hotel.

# Why this matters The award recognizes elected officials and community leaders who have a record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Berkley's record spans her time in the U.S. House of Representatives and her work since becoming mayor of Las Vegas. The recognition highlights both legislative actions she took while in Congress and her ongoing local engagement.

# What Berkley has done

Berkley also supported same-sex marriage and federal measures to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, such as the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Her congressional office welcomed gay staff and adopted employment policies prohibiting discrimination.

Berkley a 100% score on several congressional scorecards during her tenure and singled her out as the only Nevada congressional representative at the time to reach that level.

# Actions as mayor As Las Vegas mayor, Berkley has continued to work with local LGBTQ+ organizations to address community needs. In June 2025 she designated June 14 as Southern Nevada Pride Fest Day, marking the fifth anniversary of the festival and issuing a proclamation that framed the festival's work as creating safe, affirming spaces and celebrating diversity.

She has participated in the local Pride parade either as an honoree or a regular participant and was an early supporter of the LGBTQ+ Center of Las Vegas and Aid for AIDS.

# What supporters say André Wade, state director of Silver State Equality, emphasized Berkley's combination of legislative history and personal, community-level support: "Throughout decades of public service, including her work advocating for pro-equality legislation as a member of the U.S. Congress, as well as through personal and community-level support, she has been a consistent advocate for the LGBTQ+ community."

Berkley framed her approach in plain terms: "I treat everybody with respect and hope I accord them the dignity that they deserve as fellow human beings," she said, adding that the city of Las Vegas does not discriminate against any group or individual.

# Bottom line Award recognizes a record that spans federal legislation, public advocacy, and local actions to recognize and support LGBTQ+ events and organizations. The award will be presented at the Silver State Equality Awards gala on Sept. 25 at Soleia Beach Rooftop.