In accepting an award on Saturday, out
actor Dan Levy said that he created Schitt's Creek to offer
support, encouragement, and love to struggling LGBT kids.
Levy, who created Schitt's Creek
with his father Eugene Levy, was presented with GLAAD's
Davidson/Valentini Award at the group's Gala San Francisco. The award
“is presented to an LGBTQ media professional who has made a
significant difference in promoting acceptance for the LGBTQ
community.”
“Had I not had the support to build
my courage, had I not been encouraged enough to find my strength, had
I not had the love to give me a sense of security I don't know if I
would have found my way out of the closet, let alone create the
opportunity for myself to tell stories on television that have
effected some kind of positive change in the world,” Levy told the
crowd.
“Support, encouragement, and love.
Three relatively simple acts of kindness that can change the course
of a person's life. And yet for so many members of our beautiful
community, those simple transformational acts of kindness aren't just
an arms-length away.”
“The statistics are staggering and
seemingly endless, which is why when I found myself in a position to
tell stories on a global scale I seized the opportunity to make a
television show that might in its own way offer some support,
encouragement, and love to those who might not have it in their
homes, in their schools, or in their day-to-day lives,” Levy
said.
Levy added that Schitt's Creek
is “a place where everybody fits in.”
Previous recipients of the
Davidson/Valentini Award include Ross Mathews, Don Lemon, Lee
Daniels, Adam Lambert, Hannah Hart, Sandra Bernhard, Alec Mapa, Tyler
Oakley, B.D. Wong, and Ilene Chaiken, among others.