Palm Springs is preparing to honour photographer Michael Childers and Variety editor Marc Malkin at the 25th HRC Garden Party. The afternoon fundraiser, held at the Dinah Shore Estate, will spotlight charitable giving, LGBTQ+ visibility and the creative figures who’ve helped shape the city’s cultural life.

Essential Takeaways

  • Two awards: Michael Childers will receive the Community Impact Award, while Marc Malkin will receive the Visibility Award.
  • A landmark anniversary: The 25th Garden Party will support the Human Rights Campaign’s work for LGBTQ+ equality.
  • A charitable legacy: Childers has donated photography to causes across health care, the arts and community services.
  • A media champion: Malkin’s career has brought LGBTQ+ people and stories into mainstream entertainment coverage.
  • Tickets are available: Guests can also explore co-host packages, sponsorships and silent-auction donations.

Palm Springs celebrates a quarter-century of community

The HRC Palm Springs Garden Party is marking its 25th year with an afternoon that promises more than speeches and polished garden-party dressing. The event will bring together supporters, artists and local organisations at the Dinah Shore Estate on 7 November, with a clear focus on the people who’ve kept the fundraiser moving.

The Human Rights Campaign’s local chapter is presenting the event under the theme “Celebrating 25 Years of Community. Stronger Together.” According to The Palm Springs Post, the gathering will raise money for LGBTQ+ equality while recognising the partnerships behind its long-running success.

There’s something fitting about the setting. Palm Springs has long mixed glamour with grassroots activism, and this celebration sits neatly at that intersection: a stylish afternoon with serious work behind it.

Michael Childers turns photography into philanthropy

Childers will receive the HRC Community Impact Award after more than 50 years photographing performers, artists and cultural figures. His portraits have earned international recognition, but his charitable work is just as important to the story.

The Palm Springs Art Museum has highlighted Childers’ creative career and contribution to the region’s cultural landscape. His donated photography has helped raise substantial sums for LGBTQ+ organisations and other community causes, giving his images a life beyond the gallery wall.

In the Coachella Valley, his support has benefited groups including the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus, DAP Health, The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert and the Palm Springs Art Museum. Dave Karger, the Turner Classic Movies host and film expert, will present Childers with the award.

Marc Malkin’s visibility work reaches mainstream audiences

Malkin will receive the HRC Visibility Award for a journalism career that has connected LGBTQ+ stories with a much wider entertainment audience. He currently serves as Variety’s senior culture and events editor, following decades covering film, television, music and popular culture.

His professional biography traces a route through LGBTQ+ journalism, national newspapers, entertainment magazines and television news. Malkin began at Bay Windows, later working with publications including Premiere, Us Weekly and New York magazine before spending more than a decade at E! News.

He’s also appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, Today and Entertainment Tonight, while reporting from major events such as the Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys and Grammys. His work has earned recognition from NLGJA and The Advocate, underlining how visibility can be built both through individual stories and persistent newsroom presence.

Why representation still matters in entertainment

The award pairing makes a persuasive point. Childers represents the power of art to fund and strengthen local causes, while Malkin represents the reach of storytelling when LGBTQ+ people are treated as central subjects rather than afterthoughts.

Malkin’s background is especially notable because his career began in LGBTQ+ media before moving into larger mainstream platforms. His biography shows how that experience travelled with him, informing coverage that made queer lives and voices harder to overlook.

Meanwhile, Childers’ work demonstrates a different kind of influence. A striking portrait can draw attention, open a conversation and, when donated to a fundraiser, turn admiration into practical support. It’s a reminder that cultural work doesn’t have to stay on the wall or the page.

What guests can expect from the Garden Party

Broadcast journalist Sandie Newton will host the programme and awards presentation. Her “Desert Chat” work focuses on local businesses, events and nonprofit organisations, and she has previously created and hosted “NBCares”, a programme with a strong community-service focus.

Newton has also reported on organisations supporting LGBTQ+ young people and HIV/AIDS health care. That makes her a natural fit for an event built around local connection rather than celebrity for its own sake.

The Garden Party runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tickets, co-host packages, sponsorship opportunities and silent-auction information are available through HRC.org/PSGardenParty. For attendees, the afternoon offers an appealing mix of Palm Springs atmosphere, thoughtful recognition and a chance to support work that continues after the champagne is poured.

It’s a celebratory afternoon with a distinctly practical purpose: keeping community, visibility and equality moving forward.

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