Former President Bill Clinton will be honored at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, Deadline Hollywood first reported this morning. Entertainment attorney Steve Warren will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the event, where special guests will include film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence.
Take a look at this year's nominees and get your tickets here.
In 2011, Clinton advocated for marriage equality in New York and in 2012 joined the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families in working against North Carolina's proposed Amendment One to ban marriage and civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Most recently, he called for the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
"President Clinton's support of the LGBT community and recognition that DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, is unconstitutional and should be struck down shows that the political landscape continues to change in favor of LGBT equality," said GLAAD's Wilson Cruz. "Leaders and allies like President Clinton are critical to moving our march for equality forward."
GLAAD will also present the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to entertainment attorney Steve Warren at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. The award is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for our community. Previous recipients include Ellen DeGeneres, Sir Ian McKellen, Bill Condon, Wanda Sykes, Alan Ball and Robert Greenblatt.
Warren, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, has been a practicing entertainment lawyer for twenty-seven years. He is a name partner at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller, LLP, specializing in the representation of actors, directors and writers. He served as the first out gay man on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Early Education and currently serves as the first out gay man on the Board of Trustees at the Archer School for Girls. Warren joined GLAAD's Board of Directors in 2010, and currently serves on the Executive Committee.
"Steve Warren's work and career have opened doors for out professionals across the entertainment industry. In addition to advocating for LGBT people, he has continuously mobilized a large base of high-profile allies to help bring about social change," said Cruz.
Special guests for the event include film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence. Additional presenters and LGBT advocates will be announced.
The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles are presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka and Wells Fargo and locally by Delta Air Lines.
The final GLAAD Media Awards event will take place in San Francisco on May 11 at the Hilton San Francisco - Union Square where Adam Lambert will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award. The New York GLAAD Media Awards took place at the New York Marriott Marquis on March 16, view the list of award recipients from that event here.
To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.
