On the red carpet at the 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, I had the opportunity to talk with celebrity moms, both straight and gay, about their dedication to LGBT equality. First I spoke with actress and model Milla Jovovich, followed by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of MTV's Jersey Shore, then June "Mama June " Shannon from TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, followed by Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City, and concluding with Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted as den leader of her son's Boy Scout troop because she's gay. All the moms hoped for a more inclusive future for their children, a world where anyone can be who they are no mater what their sexual orientation may be.
When asked about her personal commitment to LGBT equality, Milla Jovovich stated:
I have zero tolerance for any kind of discrimination, whether it's racial, religious, sexual preference. We all deserve our civil rights. And now, as a mother, it's even more important to me, because if my daughter says to me in 10 or 15 years, "Mom, I'm gay," I want to know that she's growing up in a world that supports her and is not going to make her feel less of a human being, or someone to discriminate against her, that my daughter is able to be proud and hold her head high with her partner and feel like a normal person in this world and be respected.
New mom Snooki gave LGBT teens advice about dealing with bullying, saying, "I'm totally against bullying. I hate it. And just know that you're a great person, and whatever anyone says about you, it doesn't matter. You live for yourself, and that's it."
When asked what her reaction would be if Honey Boo Boo came out as gay, Mama June said, "I would still love her unconditionally. That's my child, and I would love her regardless."
Jen Tyrrell, who's at the center of the current controversy over the Boy Scouts' anti-gay policies, stated:
You can't build the leaders of tomorrow by using values that were OK 100 years ago. That's not the future, and they are training the future of America, and the future is families like mine, honestly. So we don't want kids to ever go through what my son Cruz has gone through, and we're going to stick through it to the end, and we'll be here as long as they are noncompliant.
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The 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards were held March 16 at the Marriott Marquis Theater in New York City. Additional awards will be presented April 20 in Los Angeles and May 11 in San Francisco. For more information, visit glaad.org.
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