My recap of the GLAAD Media Awards

There was no shortage of star power at the GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday led by honoree Kerry Washington and presenters Ellen DeGeneres and Channing Tatum.

The ever-popular Ellen took the stage to a standing ovation and quipped: ‘This is the largest gathering of gay people in one room since yesterday. So congratulations to us!’

The ceremony was one of several held by GLAAD each year honoring media for fair, accurate and inclusive representation of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives.

The evening featured a musical performance by Glee star Alex Newell that earned him a well-deserved standing ovation. There were also appearances by Zoe Saldana, Andrew Rannells, Portia de Rossi, and Looking stars Murray Bartlett and Daniel Franzese.

Among the celebrities in the crowd were Oscar winner Patricia Arquette, The Fosters co-creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg plus Wilson Cruz, Pauley Perrette, Brad Goreski and Proposition 8 plaintiffs Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo and Days of Our Lives stars Guy Wilson, Freddie Smith and Christopher Sean.

Washington brought the crowd to its feet at the end of her powerful speech while accepting the Vanguard Award which is given each year to a high-profile straight ally.

In presenting to Scandal star Washington, DeGeneres said ‘she is not afraid to fight the underdog’ then jokingly added: ‘You didn’t hear it from me but I saw her at Dinah Shore weekend – I’m pretty sure it was her.’

The Imitation Game took the award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release over Love is Strange, Pride, The Skeleton Twins and Tammy.

Graham Moore, who won an Oscar last month for writing the film’s screenplay, accepted the award with Ido Ostrowsky, one of the movie’s producers.

‘I can’t imagine an organization I’m more to celebrate than GLAAD,’ Moore said. ‘Making this movie changed my life and I only hope that now that it’s out there, it can change someone else’s.’

Also participating in the acceptance was Harvey Weinstein whose The Weinstein Company released the film.

Weinstein said in a video: ‘This is one of the proudest moments of our career.’

The film tells the story of British cryptanalyst Alan Turing who helped solve the Enigma code during WWII and was later prosecuted for homosexuality. He was pardoned posthumously by the British government and an effort is underway to have 49,000 gay men also pardoned.

‘It’s great when a movie can make history, it’s great when a movie can change history,’ Weinstein said. ‘That’s what this movie has done.’

The new ABC drama How to Get Away With Murder win the award for Outstanding Drama Series over an expanded field of 10 nominees.

The show’s creator Peter Nowalk was joined on stage by producer Shonda Rhimes and cast members Viola Davis, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King and Matt McGorry.

Nowalk’s speech included a joke about the rimming scene in the series’ first episode involving the gay character of Connor Walsh who is played by Falahee.

‘Butt play on network TV,’ said Nowalk who added that Falahee ‘plays Connor with such perfection.’

On a more serious note, he noted to young people out there: ‘It doesn’t just get better – it gets awesome!’

The third competitive award presented was for Outstanding Comedy and the Amazon series Transparent prevailed over an expanded field of 10 nominees including Orange is the New Black, Modern Family and Glee.

Creator Jill Soloway thanked Amazon for giving a show to ‘a queer thinking, shit starting freak like me. What were they thinking.’

Soloway was joined on stage by several cast members including Jay Duplass and Amy Landecker who play two of three adult children of a man (played by Jeffrey Tambor) transitioning to female at the age of 70.

Of Tambor, Soloway said: ‘I’m so grateful that he allowed Maura to live in his body … only Jeffrey Tambor could allow her to exist.’

Soloway, who has a transgender parent, also said: ‘Changing laws and changing politics follow hearts …we’re transforming the world for love and for empathy and for power.’

Channing Tatum was at the event to present the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to director Roland Emmerich whose credits include Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and White House Down which starred Tatum.

‘I’m a director, I’m German and I’m gay,’ Emmerich said in his acceptance speech. ‘I was terrified actually to be openly gay. I thought it just didn’t fit in with what I wanted to do.’

What he wanted to do was make blockbuster films.

‘It doesn’t matter what sexual orientation,’ he said. ‘You have to follow your dreams. … I want to thank all the people who helped me on this journey.’

Emmerich’s next film is Stonewall, a drama about the Stonewall Riots that focuses on a group of homeless young people who took part in the historic uprising.

‘The movie is about believing in yourself,’ he said. ‘I think it’s important for young people to know that 47 years ago other young people fought for equality.’

FOX’s Glee also received a Special Recognition Award, following the series finale.

The show was honored for consistently introducing groundbreaking LGBT characters and storylines including a recent episode that featured a 200-person transgender choir.

‘Glee as an incredibly special project right from the first draft … I truly believe it has changed lives. It has given young people hope,’ said Joe Earley, Chief Operating Officer at Fox Television Group who accepted the award on behalf of the show.

Other award GLAAD Media Award winners announced on Saturday:

• Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character): "Identity Crisis" Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)
• Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series: The Normal Heart (HBO)
• Outstanding Music Artist: Against Me!, Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Xtra Mile Recordings)
• Outstanding Daily Drama: Days of Our Lives (NBC) 
• Outstanding Comic Book: Rat Queens, written by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Image Comics)
• Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: "31 Days of PrEP" [series] (Advocate.com)
• Outstanding Blog: Autostraddle (autostraddle.com)