Recap of LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s Vanguard Awards with Jason Collins and cast of “Orange is the New Black”

One of my favorite events on the calendar is the LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s annual fall gala which have been renamed the Vanguard Awards.

Last night’s event at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA was another winner.

Sometimes I wish I was a high roller who could bid on some of the terrific live auction items like a trip to New York for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. But that is for others with deeper pockets than mine!

My job is to hit the red carpet and chat up celebs and other VIPS and sit through the dinner and share the highlights with you.

The honorees were NBA player Jason Collins (National Vanguard Award), Xiaogang Wei (International Vanguard Award) and Netflix (Corporate Vanguard Award)

We had just barely sat down and there was Lance Bass on stage ready to pay tribute to Jason Collins. I had been talking to Lance on the red carpet not 10 minutes earlier and already we were off!

Jason, of course, came out as gay on the cover of Sports Illustrated in April and in the past two months, had become acquainted with The Center and all that it does. I’ll share with you my interview with the NBA player tomorrow.

Upon receiving the National Vanguard Award, Jason thanked his parents who were in the audience. He had his speech written down because, he explained, he’s ‘too tall for the teleprompter.’

He described himself as ‘extremely humbled’ by the award and ‘amazed and awed’ by the services The Center provides – especially its services for homeless LGBT youth.

‘The Center is here to support and care about the entire community – anyone with a heartbeat and a need. There’s nothing more powerful than when someone is seen, heard and accepted for being who they truly are. I lived for 33 years not having shown my true self with anyone – I thought I’d have to go to the grave with it. Not in my wildest dreams did I think my life would transform.’

Collins said of The Center: ‘Thank you for being a light and beacon of hope for our entire community.’

Just as impressive was honoree Xiaogang Wei who is from China and did an internship at The Center in LA three years ago.

‘I just couldn’t believe how big the rainbow flags were,’ he told the crowd. ‘When I walked into the building, everyone was so happy. It’s changed the way I see the future for my community.’

He has since organized the first-ever AIDS Walk in China (along the Great Wall) which attracted 200 people in its second year and, amazingly, had the approval of the Chinese police and government.

It was after being threatened by religious protesters in 2010 that Wei transformed.

‘It was in that moment that I became an activist and realized that I would devote my life to LGBT freedom in China.’

Orange is the New Black, the Netflix prison drama that has become a sensation, was represented by cast members Dascha Polanco, Sandra Wiley, LeaDelaria, Uzo Aduba, and Pablo Schreiber.

Cindy Holland, Netflix vp of original programming, accepted the award and told the crowd there were ‘no conversations about eliminating controversial storylines. … hopefully the global success of this series will encourage the industry to take more risks.’

In a separate post, I have some big news shared by Center CEO Lorri L. Jean (pictured above with Jason Collins) and tomorrow and Tuesday share interviews with Jason Collins, Pablo Schreiber, Lance Bass and fiance Michael Turchin, and with Emmy winner Dan Bucatinsky.