Douglas Lowe from North Carolina has beat out 630 entries to win a trip for himself and his partner Craig Hopkins to join Anderson Cooper, Madonna and more at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York. For your chance to win, click here.
Today Douglas spoke about what he's most looking forward to and his reasons for getting involved with GLAAD's culture changing work.
"I'm most excited to see Madonna, of course," he said. "Anderson Cooper, Debra Messing. Jake Shears. I think those are my top three. It's such a list."
Douglas didn't ever believe he would actually win when he decided to enter the contest, describing the decision to enter as "honestly, a shot in the dark."
"I was on break at work and saw the contest. It seemed like such a cool opportunity to be able to give and help out," he said. "If I won, I won, but if not I still donated and helped out a bit."
It was important to Douglas to get involved with GLAAD's work, and the GLAAD Media Awards specifically, because "they recognize some great people. With Anderson Cooper coming out, it's the perfect opportunity to represent the community. I think [GLAAD] is a great organization."
By making a gift to GLAAD, you will have a chance to win the ultimate VIP treatment at the GLAAD Media Awards for you and a guest, including round-trip airfare to NYC, hotel accommodations in the heart of New York City, and tickets to the GLAAD Media Awards and after party. You can support GLAAD with a contribution of $10 or more, and be automatically entered for your chance to win at www.glaad.org/win. You only have until 3:00pm ET on March 14 to enter, don't miss your chance for be part of GLAAD's culture changing work!
The anchors of Good Morning America, Lara Spencer, Josh Elliott and Sam Champion will host the event. Special guests include Debra Messing and the cast of Smash, NFL players Brendon Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe, actress Ellen Barkin, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry and Thomas Roberts, and John Leguizamo. Scissor Sister Jake Shears will deliver a special performance at the event. Additional guests for the New York event to be announced.
The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 16, 2013 at the New York Marriott Marquis; in Los Angeles on April 20 at the JW Marriott; and in San Francisco on May 11 at the Hilton San Francisco - Union Square. Additional Special Honorees for each city will be announced in coming weeks.
The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. They also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories from the LGBT community that build support for equality.
The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are executive produced by Marc Honaker, Director of Creative Development at GLAAD, and by Josh Wood, founder and president of Josh Wood Productions. Emmy Award winning production designer James Connelly will design this year's set across the three cities. Acclaimed producer and editor Brett Henrichsen will also contribute to this year's GLAAD Media Awards.
To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.