GLAAD on Thursday announced that it
would honor out screenwriter-producer-director Ryan Murphy at the
group's 31st annual Media Awards in New York on Thursday,
March 19.
Murphy will receive GLAAD's Vito Russo
Award, which is presented to “an openly LGBTQ media professional
who has made a significant difference in accelerating LGBTQ
acceptance.”
Previous Vito Russo honorees include
Billy Porter, Anderson Cooper, Ricky Martin, Andy Cohen, Cynthia
Nixon, RuPaul, Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Ford, Samira Wiley, Thomas
Roberts, George Takei, Alan Cumming, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron,
among others.
“Ryan Murphy is a talented
trailblazer behind some of the most innovative and popular LGBTQ
projects in television, theater and film history, and he continues to
bring underrepresented LGBTQ voices to the table in ways that raise
the bar in Hollywood,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate
Ellis. “Ryan’s unique and gifted brand of storytelling has not
only entertained the masses, but provided LGBTQ youth with characters
who inspire them to live boldly and proudly.”
The prolific Murphy has been involved
in numerous projects that include LGBT characters and themes,
including Glee, Pose, American Horror Story, and
The Politician.
GLAAD previously announced that Taylor
Swift and Janet Mock would be honored at the GLAAD Media Awards in
Los Angeles on Thursday, April 16.
(Related: Taylor
Swift, Janet Mock to be honored for their LGBT activism at GLAAD
Media Awards.)