Photographer and Variety editor to be honored at 25th HRC Palm Springs Garden Party

A photographer whose portraits have helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and a Variety editor with more than three decades in entertainment journalism will receive awards Saturday, Nov. 7, at the 25th HRC Palm Springs Garden Party at the Dinah Shore Estate in Palm Springs.

Michael Childers, a photographer and philanthropist, will receive the HRC Community Impact Award. Marc Malkin, Variety’s senior culture and events editor, will receive the HRC Visibility Award.

The Silver Palm Edition, hosted by the local chapter of the Human Rights Campaign, will run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Under the theme “Celebrating 25 Years of Community. Stronger Together,” the fundraiser will recognize the people and partnerships that have sustained the event while raising money for the Human Rights Campaign’s work on LGBTQ+ equality.

Childers has spent more than five decades photographing artists, entertainers and cultural figures, and his work has been recognized internationally. He has also donated his photography to charitable organizations, helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for LGBTQ+ causes and other needs.

Dave Karger, a Turner Classic Movies host, film expert and author, will present the award to Childers.

In the Coachella Valley, Childers’ philanthropy has benefited the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus, DAP Health, The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards and the Human Rights Campaign. It has also supported organizations focused on equality, health care, education, the arts and community service.

The Visibility Award recognizes Malkin’s work in bringing LGBTQ+ stories, voices and people into greater view across entertainment and mainstream media. An Emmy-nominated journalist, he began his career at Bay Windows, a Boston-based LGBTQ newspaper, before moving to Premiere magazine.

He later wrote, reported or edited for the New York Daily News, Us Weekly and New York magazine. Malkin spent more than a decade at E! News as a reporter, editor, managing editor for film and on-air correspondent, and he also served as a supervising producer at The Insider.

His television appearances have included CNN, Good Morning America, Today and Entertainment Tonight. He has interviewed thousands of figures in film, television, music and popular culture, and he has covered the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys and Grammys.

In 2017, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists gave Malkin its Lisa Ben Award. The Advocate has named him among the 50 Most Influential LGBTQ People in Media.

“Twenty-five years of community does not happen by chance. It happens because people set an intention, they show up, give what they have to give and create something larger than themselves,” said Brian O’Connor, executive producer of the Garden Party and a member of the national boards of directors of the Human Rights Campaign and HRC Foundation.

“The Silver Palm Edition is both a celebration of that legacy and a declaration that our work continues,” O’Connor said.

“Michael Childers and Marc Malkin embody that spirit in distinct ways: Michael has transformed extraordinary artistry into decades of generosity, while Marc has used journalism and the power of storytelling to expand LGBTQ+ visibility in mainstream culture. Honoring them at our 25th Garden Party is a powerful reflection of where we’ve been, what we value and the future we are continuing to create together.”

Sandie Newton, a broadcast journalist and host of KESQ News Channel 3’s “Desert Chat,” will host the program and awards presentation. She created and hosted “NBCares” for six years before joining KESQ, and “Desert Chat,” now in its fifth season, features local businesses, events and nonprofit organizations.

Newton’s reporting has highlighted organizations serving LGBTQ+ people, including LGBTQ+ youth and HIV/AIDS health care.

Tickets, co-host packages, sponsorship opportunities and information about donating to the silent auction are available at HRC.org/PSGardenParty.

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