On Saturday March 23 the 2012 GLAAD Media Awards kicked off in New York City with a gala event hosted by "Glee" stars Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith.
The first of three events -- the other two will take place in Los Angeles on April 21 and San Francisco on June 2 -- included a who's who of the LGBT community and its allies like actress Dakota Fanning, hip-hop icon Russell Simmons, "Top Chef" star Padma Lakshmi, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, the Food Network's Ted Allen, Wendy Williams, Jay Manuel and Isis King from "America's Next Top Model" and more.
GLAAD's Acting President Mike Thompson noted in a blog he penned for HuffPost Gay Voices:
"The events, which help fund GLAAD's storytelling and media advocacy work, not only celebrate and recognize the best of the best in LGBT-inclusive journalism, film, music, television, and more; they also serve as a benchmark for the media industry, helping to improve representation and inspire more thoughtful depictions of the LGBT community throughout the year."
Awards were handed out in a number of categories including Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage, won by The Advocate/Out, Outstanding Music Artist, won by Lady Gaga for her album "Born This Way," and Outstanding Talk Show Episode, won by "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for the episode "Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests."
A Special Recognition Award was presented by Harvey Weinstein to the openly gay 17-year-old anti-bullying advocate Katy Butler who has been tirelessly fighting in hopes of securing a PG-13, rather than R, rating for the documentary "Bully."
See a full list of the award winners from Saturday's event here and then check out more of the nominees in the slideshow below.
For more info on GLAAD and to get your tickets to the awards events in either Los Angeles or San Francisco, visit the organization's official website here and follow it on Twitter.
Before You Go
