The 25th annual GLAAD Media Awards were held Saturday night in Los Angeles. The ceremony, held to recognize fair, accurate and inclusive representation in media of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives, honored 12 of the 29 nominated media categories. Other winners, including those in the movie (outstanding film) and television (outstanding comedy series) will be named at a New York ceremony on May 3.

Among the big winners were Laverne Cox and Jennifer Lopez. Cox received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award which is given to a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender member of the entertainment community. Previous recipients include Wanda Sykes, Melissa Etheridge and Ellen DeGeneres.

Lopez was named winner of the Vanguard Award which hails efforts to increase visibility and understanding of the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender community. Lopez has been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights and is Executive Producer for the ABC Family series “The Fosters.”

Ellen Page introduces Laverne Cox

Rita Morena presents Jennifer Lopez

Honorees at the event included:

Pioneer Award
Norman Lear

Vanguard Award
Jennifer Lopez

Stephen F. Kolzak Award
Laverne Cox, “Orange Is the New Black”

International Advocate for Change Award
Manny de Guerre, founder of the Side by Side LGBT Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia

Outstanding Documentary
TIE: “Bridegroom” (Virgil Films/OWN), Shane Bitney Crone and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
“Call Me Kuchu” (Cinedigm), co-directors Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall, and Ugandan activist John “Long Jones” Abdallah Wambere.

Outstanding Drama Series
“The Fosters” (ABC Family), Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg with stars Sheri Saum and Teri Polo

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
“Behind the Candelabra” (HBO)

Outstanding Reality Program
“Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce” (Fuse)

Outstanding Daily Drama
“Days of Our Lives” (NBC)

Outstanding Newspaper Article
“LGBTQ in the Capital” (series) by Melissa Griffiths (Juneau Empire [Juneau, Alaska])

Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia
“We Are Here: LGBTI in Uganda” by Sunnivie Brydum, D. David Robinson (Advocate.com)

Outstanding Music Artist
Tegan and Sara, “Heartthrob” (Warner Bros. Records)

Outstanding Comic Book
Young Avengers, written by Kieron Gillen (Marvel Comics)

Outstanding Talk Show Interview (Spanish Language)
TIE: “Debate por la igualdad” Al Punto (Univision)
“Decisión Histórica” Sin Límites con Elizabeth Espinosa (CNN en Español)

Outstanding Local TV Journalism (Spanish Language)
“Natalia: rompiendo barreras” Noticiero Telemundo Arizona (KTAZ-39 [Phoenix, Ariz.])

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment (Spanish Language)
“Decisión Histórica” Noticiero Telemundo (Telemundo)

Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia (Spanish Language)
“Eric y Juan, un matrimonio feliz a pesar de todo” by Fernando Mexia (EFE.com)

The post Cox, Lopez honored at 25th GLAAD Media Awards first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Actor and comedian Wanda Sykes was a guest on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno earlier this week, where she spoke out about her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign, and her concern for the LGBT community during the upcoming Sochi Olympics.

“It’s criminal what they’re doing to the LGBT community in Russia,” Sykes said on the show. She then went on to list several reasons why she wouldn’t go to Russia, while adding, “What I will do is wear a t-shirt to support them. Human Rights Campaign has a [shirt] out and the proceeds go to help them.” She told Leno, “And I brought you one too so if they ask you to go, you can say ‘No, I’m going to wear a t-shirt.’”

Read more at dot429.com

The post Sykes talks Sochi, HRC on ‘The Tonight Show’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Who’s funnier, Wanda or Ellen? Out comic Wanda Sykes visits Ellen DeGeneres to chat about getting older, kids and her wife’s English pronunciation gaffes — all in good fun, of course!

The post Wanda Sykes has Ellen laughing first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY HEATHER HOGAN

If there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s the we need more queer women of color on our TVs, so it is with a happy heart that I get to say: Wanda Sykes has inked a new first-look deal with NBC. Even better? Sykes is teaming up with openly gay lady Page Hurwitz to make the magic happen. A “first-look deal,” in regular people-speak, means that NBC is paying Sykes and Hurwitz to make something awesome and show it to NBC (and give NBC the chance to buy it) before they show it (or sell it) to anyone else.Read more at AfterEllen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post Wanda Sykes may do big things for NBC first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Take a host of LGBT celebrities, sit them down and make them talk about President Obama’s advocacy and what do you get? This inspiring video:

That’s Jane Lynch, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Billie Jean King, George Takei, Wanda Sykes, Zachary Quinto and Chaz Bono sharing why, on LGBT issues alone, they support President Obama over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

The post Stars shine in inspirational pro-Obama video first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Ruth Ellis Center hosted its second annual benefit Voices with special celebrity guest Wanda Sykes on September 20. Voices, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), celebrates the resilience of the more than 4,000 homeless, runaway and at-risk lesbian, gay, bi-attractional, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth the Ruth Ellis Center serves annually.

The event also included two major announcements: this year’s recipients of the Ruth’s Angels Award, and Sykes’ surprise announcement that she had donated $15,000 to the Ruth Ellis Center, matching a $15,000 grant announced by PNC Bank earlier in the evening.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Sykes matches donation to Ruth Ellis Center first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The past few years have seen tremendous progress for the LGBT community: the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” marriage equality continues to gain momentum, and the widespread integration of gays into the mainstream. But as we head into election season, many gays and lesbians and their allies are wondering where the Presidential candidates stand on all the issues that matter most to the LGBT community. Who will best represent them in the next four years?

Logo will lead that discussion with a series of two “NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes” election specials. Hosted by politically-minded comedian and TV personality Wanda Sykes, Logo’s NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes election specials will educate, activate and entertain viewers while shining a spotlight on the state of national politics through an LGBT lens. Taped in front of a live studio audience in Times Square in New York City, the specials will feature a rapid-fire, roundtable format with notable panelists from both sides of the political aisle. The first of two, one-hour specials will air four days after the Democratic National Convention, Monday, September 10 at 10:00pm ET/PT followed by the second special on election-eve, Monday, November 5 (time TBA) on Logo.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Sykes to host Logo ‘NewNowNext’ election specials first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Cue the protests. Another mainstream company has hired an openly gay celebrity as a spokesperson.

Procter & Gamble announced Monday that comedian and actress Wanda Sykes (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) has become its “Gain Scent Matchmaker” to promote Gain detergents. The interactive YouTube spot features Sykes helping visitors to choose their scent among such options as Apple Mango Tango, Icy Fresh Fizz and Butterfly Kiss. Sykes was already doing voiceover work for Gain.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Procter & Gamble hires Wanda Sykes for Gain detergent campaign first appeared on Lesbian.com.