AUSTRALIAN actress and DJ Ruby Rose was awarded the top gong at the GLAAD Media Awards in the US on Saturday night.
The GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Awards recognise media and creative professionals who work to promote accurate and inclusive LGBT stories and increase public acceptance of gender and sexuality diverse people.
Rose’s award, which was presented by Taylor Swift, is normally awarded to a someone who has made a “significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance for the community”.
“She tells the world that no one can judge us and no one can stop us,” Swift said in her presentation.
Rose, 30, currently stars in the award-winning Netflix series Orange Is The New Black, which has been lauded for its portrayal of bisexual and lesbian relationships.
In her acceptance speech, Rose spoke about her childhood in Australia and the discomfort she felt in her gender and sexuality.
“I felt there was so much wrong with me and there was so much weird about me,” she said.
“I practiced looking like a boy. Still do. I got appalled when I got breasts. Sometimes, still do.
“I spent a lot of time in a very vulnerable place with little to no support.”
However, Rose added that what little support she had came in the form of media, including the TV show The L Word.
“Slowly but surely, year after year, I watched the world change,” she said.
“GLAAD was there pushing the studios to do better.”
Other big winners from the evening include Lilly Wachowski, who won the Outstanding Drama Series Award for Sense8, and Demi Lovato, who was presented the Vanguard Award by Nick Jonas.
Please Like Me, the Australian series by gay comedian Josh Thomas, was nominated but lost out to Transparent for the Outstanding Comedy Series Award.
