Chaz Bono first trans person to receive GLAAD’s Stephen F Kolzak award
Chaz Bono will be the first transgender person to receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.
The award has been given to a gay, bi or transgender person annually since 1991 to honour someone who has promoted equality within the industry.
Mike Thompson, Acting President of GLAAD said: “Chaz has opened the door for countless others, reshaping the way Americans think about transgender people today.
“His bold leadership in sharing his story as a transgender man, as well as his tireless work to secure equality for every American, embodies the values of GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award.”
Read PinkNews.co.uk’s interview with Chaz Bono, his transition and his desire to help others here.
The award is for a Los Angeles casting director who worked to tackle homophobia and the perception of AIDS within the entertainment industry. Kolzak was the first, posthumous, recipient of the award.
Last year, gay TV producer Robert Greenblatt received the award. Wanda Sykes won the year before that, and in 2009 the gong was taken home by the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal church.
