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GLAAD awards best celebrities of LGBT media

GLAAD raises awareness for LGBT issues, honoring celebrities that contribute to LGBT causes.

Brett Malec

Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Lifestyle
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With a red carpet reminiscent of the Oscars, the 19th Annual Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards was a night of famous faces, trendy parties and celebration for a cause.

Celebrities, gay and straight, such as Sharon Stone, Sally Field, Ellen DeGeneres, Cindy Crawford and Kathy Griffin showed up at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on Saturday to honor those in the media that have helped foster positive images of homosexuals in mainstream media.

Along with the elegant awards ceremony, which will be broadcast on Bravo, this weekend's event consisted of a hip cocktail reception sponsored by Absolut Vodka, a silent auction, a performance by Joss Stone, a VIP dinner crowded with celebrities and prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender figureheads and the raffling of two round-trip tickets to Sydney, Australia.

Three distinct awards characterized the ceremony this year: the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, honoring an openly gay entertainment and media figures for their contribution to the fight against homophobia; the Vanguard Award, honoring entertainers who have made significant differences promoting equal rights for LGBT people; and the Pioneer Award, given to groundbreaking individuals or groups who promoted positive images of the LGBT community within the media before the establishment of the GLAAD organization. Previous winners have included Jennifer Aniston, Cher, Charlize Theron, Whoopi Goldberg and Melissa Etheridge.

This year's recipient of the Vanguard Award was chart-topping music sensation Janet Jackson, who has sold more than a hundred million records worldwide. She was awarded for her work with the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

Openly gay music sensation Rufus Wainwright, who performed on campus two months ago, was honored with the Kolzak Award during the ceremony for his accomplishments in the music industry and his advocacy for gay rights and awareness of LGBT issues.

Herb Ritts, legendary fashion and arts photographer, received the Pioneer Award. Ritts, who died in 2002, was dedicated to presenting positive, inclusive and beautiful images of LGBT and straight individuals before the GLAAD organization became a bonafide activist group. Ritts also worked with many HIV and AIDS organizations to fight the epidemic affecting LGBT individuals.
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