On November 16, 2024, Carter Brown received the Kuchling Humanitarian Award from the Dallas/FtWorth Black Tie Dinner, the largest annual fundraising event in the City of Dallas, with an audience of 2,100 guests. The following is the written text of his acceptance speech
Good evening, everyone! Standing here as the recipient of the Kuchling Humanitarian Award is truly an honor. Thank you to Black Tie Dinner, and thank you to all of you for this incredible recognition. This award is special for many reasons. First, I give homage to the late, Raymond Kuchling for his legacy of love and activism. It’s also deeply meaningful to be the first trans person to receive this award. I’m grateful to share this moment with those who have shaped my journey. To my friends, family, and my team at the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition—thank you for believing in the vision. And to my wife, for showing me that my worth is beyond any circumstance or label—you are my anchor, my true love, and my inspiration.
You know, I never saw myself as a humanitarian, so it feels incredible to be seen and honored in this light. It humbles me because I know it was humanitarians—everyday people—who showed me firsthand the power of compassion, humanity, and connection when I needed it most. And I believe we all have the spirit of humanity within us.
I grew up here in Dallas in the 80s and 90s as a dark-skinned Black LGBTQ kid from a single-parent home. With that, I faced my share of being pushed away, left out, and overlooked. As a young teen, after family hardship, I found myself homeless. Life felt uncertain, and the world seemed indifferent. But it was those humanitarians who saw me beyond my circumstances, positioned themselves as allies, and offered support—a teacher who helped me stay in school, or a friend’s parent who shared a meal or a couch when I had nowhere to turn. Sometimes, it was strangers. Together, they showed me a world where humanity means seeing each person as deserving of dignity and hope.
Those same values are the foundation of my work and service. Because of the support I received, it became my mission to help trans and non-binary people find healing, empowerment, and recognition as whole, valuable individuals. And to disrupt narratives that say trans people don’t deserve respect or safety, because we do. Right now, LGBTQ kids are still being pushed away, trans youth are being left out, and looked over, and many feel like life is uncertain and the world seems indifferent. Now it’s your turn—each of you can position yourselves as allies and push forward with us.
We are in a time when we are being told to hide, to quiet down, to disappear. But we need you with us, standing tall and clear in our message: we are not going to hide, we won’t shut up, and we are not going to be erased! We are not going anywhere and we’ll keep pushing forward until our humanity is respected, uplifted, and celebrated.
To all the humanitarians here tonight—those of you who stand up for others simply because it’s right. We need more of that spirit now more than ever. Let’s carry forward the spirit of humanity—together and continue to build a world where compassion, acceptance, and connection are the foundation of everything we stand for. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for this incredible honor.