Actor Cynthia Nixon and comedian Joy Behar were honoured at this year’s Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Awards for the roles they have played in educating the public to the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people.
Tony Award-winning and openly gay actor Alan Cumming hosted the New York awards, with celebrities Sigourney Weaver, Meredith Vieira, Bryan Batt, Sarah Paulson, Rosie Perez, Michael Urie, Gavin Creel, and Dustin Lance Black in attendance.
Nixon, of Sex and the City fame, was presented the Vito Russo award for her openness about her family, which led to a greater public understanding of the need for full marriage equality.
‘Coming out wasn’t hard in 2004. But if it had been 1994? What would I have done? I’ll never know,’ Nixon said in her acceptance speech.
‘Coming out wasn’t difficult for me because of the work of many people in this room and because of the vision, tenacity and sacrifice of people like Vito Russo, who are no longer with us, but because of whom there is a room – a room that has all of us in it.’
Behar was awarded for Excellence in Media, having educated audiences about the lives of gay and transgender people on her HLN talk show, The Joy Behar Show, and as co-host of The View.
The Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series award went to Prayers for Bobby, which starred Sigourney Weaver and was produced by Daniel Sladek and Damian Ganczewski.
The Outstanding Digital Journalism Article award was shared between ESPN.com reporter John Buccigross and AfterElton.com journalist Brent Hartinger, for his opinion piece Why Can’t You Just Butch Up? Gay Men, Effeminacy, and Our War with Ourselves.
Buccigross’s article We Love You, This Won’t Change a Thing focused on the story of gay National Hockey League player Brendan Burke coming out to his father, the famous NHL coach Brian Burke, who openly supported his gay son and even attended the Toronto Pride festival. It was published shortly before Brendan died in a car accident.
Brothers & Sisters was awarded as Outstanding Drama Series and CNN’s American Morning won the Outstanding TV Journalism Segment award for Why Will Won’t Pledge Allegiance, which interviewed 10-year-old Will Phillips about his refusal to recite the American pledge at school because of the lack of equal rights for the GLBTI community.
In a rousing speech that elicited a standing ovation at the awards ceremony, Phillips said: ‘I know there are certain political restraints that make action difficult, however lack of equality for some is lack of equality for all and I think its time for us all to get equal.’
A Special Recognition Award was presented to Broadway musical Hair.
Other recipients included the Oprah Winfrey Show for its segment on Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi, film Little Ashes, The New York Times for outstanding overall newspaper coverage and stage shows A Boy and His Soul and She Like Girls.
Aja Styles
