LGBT group praises honorees
With the conversation about diversity in the entertainment industry growing ever louder, actress Kerry Washington, director-producer Roland Emmerich and ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder” were among the honorees Saturday night at the GLAAD Media Awards.
The LGBT media advocacy organization’s 26th annual show, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, honored people in 16 of 31 categories. Recipients were praised for the fair and accurate inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues affecting their lives.
The Vanguard Award went to “Scandal” star Washington, who highlighted the “enormous power of inclusive storytelling.”
“We need more LGBT representation in the media,” she said in her acceptance speech. “We need more LGBT characters and more LGBT storytelling. We need more diverse LGBT representation. We need more employment of LGBT people in front of and behind the camera.”
Various minority groups can find themselves pitted against one when in fact they should band together, Washington said. “We must be allies, and we must be allies in this business,” she said. “Because to be represented is to be humanized.”
The Stephen F. Kolzak Award went to Emmerich, who accepted from Channing Tatum. He called Emmerich “an out, proud, fearless storyteller” with a “wildly positive spirit.”
“I know Roland mostly because of one word: ‘Hellooo?’ ” Tatum said, imitating Emmerich’s German accent. “That’s what Roland said to me every single morning with the biggest ear-to-ear grin.... With this one word, he would let me know it was a great day to be alive and to work on this magical gift of a job.”
Emmerich, known for his work as a director and producer on “Independence Day” and “White House Down,” among others, is directing the film “Stonewall,” about the 1969 New York City riots. He is a longtime supporter of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the marriage equality organization Freedom to Marry.
“The Imitation Game” was honored in the wide-release film category. The film, which also won an Oscar for adapted screenplay, follows gay mathematician Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) as he tries to break Germany’s Enigma code to help win World War II. Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore and producer Ido Ostrowsky accepted the GLAAD Award.
The TV drama series award went to ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder.” Creator Peter Nowalk accepted the award with stars Viola Davis, Jack Falahee, Matt McGorry and Aja Naomi King.
The freshman series from producer Shondra Rhimes has been praised for its diversity, including Davis as the show’s lead and Falahee’s portrayal of openly gay, and sexually active, law student Connor Walsh.
GLAAD’s comedy series award went to Amazon Instant Video’s “Transparent,” which stars Jeffrey Tambor as a parent who decides late in life to live as a woman.
Creator Jill Soloway said entertainment is “an empathy machine.”
She added: “By doing the work we are doing, we are transforming the world for love, for empathy and for power.”
GLAAD will hold another ceremony May 9 in New York for 15 additional categories.