In accepting GLSEN's Humanitarian Award
on behalf of herself and husband Danny Moder, actress Julia Roberts
opened her heart to LGBT teens who have been bullied.
Roberts and Moder were honored during
last week's Respect Awards, held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in
Beverly Hills, California.
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight
Education Network, works to create a safe space in schools for
children who are or may be perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender.
Roberts and Moder, who are raising
three children, worked on HBO's Emmy-winning AIDS drama The Normal
Heart.
Roberts apologized to the “men folk”
in the audience that her “hot husband” was unable to attend.
“I totally get it,” she said. “And
your hopes were placed properly.”
She said that the recognition made her
feel a bit like a “fraud,” because “there's so much power and
conversation that goes on in this room separate from us” and that
she serves merely to point to the good works of others.
“I want to energetically just pour my
heart out to all the mothers of all the children who have ever
suffered from this kind of bullying and this kind of injustice. You
just want to go in there and beat the shit out of them,” she joked.
“And you can't, because then there's the second wave of bullying.”
A humanitarian, Roberts said, “is a
person who brings attention to the welfare and good works of others,
so in that regard we are all that.”
“What is the point if not to be kind
and unconditional in our love and generosity toward one another?
What is the point of a day that doesn't have some kind of positive
feeling?” she added. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Also honored were NBC Chairman Bob
Greenblatt, who received the group's Chairman Award, and Dancing
with the Stars' Derek Hough, who received the group's Inspiration
Award.