Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere have joined the American LGBTQ+ Museum board of trustees
The fashion icon and his husband are "thrilled" to be joining the museum at a vital time, with the inaugural physical site due to open in autumn 2027 at the New York Historical, where it will take up 5,000 square feet of gallery space
20 June 2025
Michael and Lance said in a joint statement: "We are thrilled to join the board of trustees and be a part of such a historic endeavour.
"It's more important than ever to preserve and celebrate LGBTQ+ history and culture. Our community has such a rich history and so many stories to tell."
The American LGBTQ+ Museum was founded in 2017, and has since preserved, celebrated and investigated the history and culture of members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Ben Garcia - who serves as the museum's ex ecutive director - added: "We are honoured to have Michael and Lance join our board.
"They bring an enormous amount of expertise in philanthropy at a local and global scale, and we are excited to have their incredible leadership, dedication and generosity on our side."
Michael and Lance have lived in New York City for a long time, and are keen supporters of many philanthropic causes, including NYC-based God's Love We Deliver, which since the late 1980s has provided medically appropriate meals to people with critical illnesses.
Back in 2013, the Michael Kors company launched the Watch Hunter Stop campaign in support of the United Nations World Food Programme, while Michael is also a goodwill ambassador for the WFP.
He previously told the Vancouver Sun newspaper: "In the late '90s, when I started going to Paris for CELINE, I started travelling back and forth and I realised, we're all in this together.
"It's empathy for your neighbour - not just here across the street, but also for your neighbour around the world.
"It seemed that the one thing, unfortunately, that was a problem everywhere around the world, was the idea of nutrition and hunger."
The couple have also supported other local, national and global charities, ranging from the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the NAACP to Planned Parenthood, the World Wildlife Fund and the New York Restoration Project.
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