Kerry Washington and Zendaya Honored for their Support of the LGBTQ Community at Glsen Respect Awards
The GLSEN Respect Awards highlights the work of students, educators, community leaders and corporations who serve as role models, and have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ youth.
This year, the honorees included Scandal star, Kerry Washington, who gave a powerful and emotional speech on stage.
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 20: Kerry Washington at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 20, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GLSEN)
“Sometimes I feel as if we are living through a horrific dream,” admitted Washington, who received the Inspiration Award. “It is a communal nightmare. The flames of terror and exclusion are being ignited by some of our most powerful leaders. These people who have been entrusted with the protection of our rights, the rights of all of us, the rights of we the people, have chosen instead to traffic in hate. We’ve gone from a White House lit in all the colors of pride, to a White House that literally preaches division and discrimination. And so, sometimes I worry, because the stakes are high and fear is rampant.”
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: GLSEN's National Student Council members pose with Kerry Washington at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 20, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GLSEN)
Washington revealed her perspective on the future changed after she had kids, and she now sees the impact that younger generations can and will have.
“Children are not born to be molded and perfected by their parents. Children are born to us because we need to grow,” she said. “You are inspiring all of us to make the changes we need to make in order for the world to be a world that is deserving of your beauty, and your power, and your possibility.”
She continued, “You are collectively helping our country to become a more perfect union—and not just for some of us, but for all of us.”
Singer and actress Zendaya was also honored for her support of the LGBTQ community.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: Honoree Zendaya at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 20, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GLSEN)
“GLSEN is honored to recognize Zendaya with the Gamechanger Award for her commitment to social justice,” Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, said in a statement. “This award was created to spotlight the next generation of leaders, and Zendaya, unafraid to raise her voice on a host of issues affecting LGBTQ students and other marginalized communities, clearly exemplifies that leadership.”
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: Honoree Zendaya accepts the Gamechanger Award onstage during the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 20, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for GLSEN)
Other notable celebrities who attended the event in Beverly Hills to lend their support include Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Billie Lourd (American Horror Story), Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us), Chyler Leigh (Supergirl), Jeff Perry (Scandal), Darby Stanchfield (Scandal), Greg Berlanti, Jess Cagle, Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery), Charlie Carver (Blooms), Rosario Dawson (The Defenders), Tommy Dorfman (13 Reasons Why).
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 20: (L-R) Honoree Ose Arheghan, GLSEN National Student Council member Marcus Breed and Milo Ventimiglia pose with the Student Advocate of the Year award at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 20, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for GLSEN)
For more information go to https://www.glsen.org/