The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) will
honor Meryl Streep for her outspoken support for LGBT rights.
Streep will receive the group's Ally
for Equality Award at the 2017 HRC Greater New York Gala on February
11. The event will be held at New York's legendary Waldorf Astoria.
The award honors “the outstanding
efforts of those who use their voice and publicly stand-up for the
LGBTQ community.”
“Throughout her phenomenal career,
Meryl Streep has used her voice to stand up for the LGBTQ community,”
HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “Whether through
her iconic roles that raised the visibility of LGBTQ people, or by
boldly speaking out for equality, Meryl Streep embodies the very
nature of what it means to be an ally to our community. We are
thrilled to welcome Meryl Streep to the 2017 HRC Greater New York
Gala and look forward to honoring her with the HRC Ally for Equality
Award.”
In accepting a Golden Globes best
actress award for her role in the AIDS drama Angels in America
in 2004, Streep expressed her support for marriage equality.
“I just want to say that I don't
think the two biggest problems in America are too many people want to
commit their lives to each other, till death do us part, and steroids
in sports,” Streep said, a reference to then-President George W.
Bush, who named defending marriage as a heterosexual union and
“steroids in sports” as national issues during a State of the
Union Address.