YouTube stars Tyler Oakley and Hannah Hart presented at the 2014 GLAAD Gala San Francisco: Game Changers. The duo presented the inaugural Ric Weiland Award to Arjan Dijk, Vice President Marketing at Google, who accepted the award on behalf of Google and YouTube. The Ric Weiland Award honors innovators who advance LGBT equality through tech and new media.
"Google is proud to be considered a Game Changer, especially in the memory of Ric Weiland and what his work represents," said Dijk "Google has a longstanding history of standing up for the LGBT community and we work hard to make sure that Google and YouTube are platforms that make information accessible to everyone. I am so proud and happy that YouTube and Google are global platforms that can help people find their way in life."
YouTube reacted to the honor:
We’re #Proud to be honored by @glaad and it's all thanks to the YouTube community and their support of equality. pic.twitter.com/7U3OnGsILM
— YouTube (@YouTube) September 12, 2014
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki tweeted:
Honor to be here tonight at #glaadgala. Thanks to Glaad for recognizing #YouTube and #Google.
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) September 14, 2014
GLAAD Gala San Francisco: Game Changers recognizes national and Bay Area leaders advancing LGBT equality through the media and also funds GLAAD's national advocacy work to rewrite the script for LGBT equality.