In accepting an award on Saturday, out
journalist Thomas Roberts announced that he would donate earnings
from hosting the Miss Universe competition in Russia to the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate.
HRC honored Roberts with its Leadership
& Visibility Award at its Maryland Summit.
The former MSNBC anchor hosted the Miss
Universe pageant in 2013 in Moscow. At the time, Russia had just approved a
law which prohibits “gay propaganda” to minors, and Roberts, who
came out gay in 2006 and married in 2012, was criticized for taking
the job.
Before heading to Moscow, Roberts said
that he wanted to co-host the pageant “partly because it is a huge,
visible opportunity for LGBT people. Everywhere.” Roberts also
criticized the law while on the show's red carpet, calling it
discriminatory.
On Saturday, Roberts said that he was
donating his $25,000 fee to HRC.
“In 2013, when I was working for NBC,
I traveled to Russia with the president,” Roberts
said. “He wasn't the president then, he was just Donald Trump
from Celebrity Apprentice owning Miss Universe.”
“Because of all the stuff that’s
come out in light of the Russians, I don’t know whose money that
is,” Roberts added. “So, I don’t want it. And not that I
believe that it’s in any way bad money, because I thought at the
time I was earning it for good intent. Because I wanted to show the
stories of the LGBTQ community that was under this harsh spotlight by
the Russian government. That really hasn’t changed. I earned that
money for good intent and I’d like to donate that money to you
[HRC].”