GLAAD honours Glee and Modern Family
Two of television’s hottest shows tied for Best Comedy series at last night’s GLAAD awards.
Modern Family and Glee shared the award, in recognition of their positive portrayal of gay and lesbian characters.
The awards were hosted by Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, and featured appearances by Dolly Parton, Colin Farrell, Sean Hayes, Chris Colfer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Allison Janney, Melissa Etheridge, Joel McHale, Kirsten Dunst, and Chaz Bono.
Project Runway for was honoured for Best Reality TV show, while actress Kristin Chenoweth received the Vanguard Award for LGBT visibility.
“I want to encourage many people of all faiths to come forward and stand with me,” Chenoweth said in her acceptance speech.
“Even if you don’t believe in Jesus the way I do, he did teach love — not just tolerance, but acceptance. I’m lucky I had parents who adopted me at birth, conservative Southern Baptists who said, ‘You will love everyone the same.”
Country music legend Dolly Parton presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Robert Greenblatt, whose career as a television executive has led to some of the most fair, accurate and inclusive LGBT images ever seen in primetime, including Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk, The L Word, and United States of Tara.
The Stephen F. Kolzak Award is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community.
“I’m very grateful to everyone at GLAAD for thinking of me for this honor,” Greenblatt said as he accepted his award.
“I salute all the producers, writers, network executives, and actors who took on the issue and broke ground way before I did, and who continue to do it today. Many of you are in the room tonight. I share this award with you.
“While we still have a long way to go, we have made great strides both politically and in our media. May that not only continue, but increase in velocity … because we can help change the way the world thinks about LGBT people, not to mention how LGBT people think about themselves.”
The award for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment was accepted by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, Fort Worth, Texas City Council member Joel Burns and his husband, J.D. Angle, for their interview on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.
Kirsten Dunst presented a Special Recognition award to Bianca “Nikki” Peet, a 17-year-old student from Corpus Christi, Texas, for her efforts to organize a Gay-Straight Alliance at her high school after her principal originally prohibited the group.
GLAAD also announced that I Love You Phillip Morris received the award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release.
