Out actor Charlie Carver has received
the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) Gamechanger
Award.
GLSEN works to create a safe space in
schools for children who are or may be perceived to be gay, lesbian,
bisexual or transgender.
The 31-year-old Carver is best known
for playing Porter Scavo on the ABC drama Desperate Housewives
and Ethan on MTV's supernatural series Teen Wolf.
Carver plays Cowboy in producer Ryan
Murphy's upcoming film adaptation of Mart Crowley's play The Boys
in the Band. Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew
Rannells, Robin de Jesus, Tuc Watkins, Brian Hutchison and Michael
Benjamin Washington round out the cast. A 50th anniversary
Broadway revival of the play staged in 2018 used the same cast, all
of whom are openly gay.
The cast reunited virtually to present
Carver the award.
In his acceptance speech, Carver said
that part of the reason he came out gay in 2016 was to help LGBT
youth.
“I always knew that I wanted to do
something with life that might help young people and their
relationship to shame,” Carver
said.
“It was my hope that by writing this
post and sharing why I'd arrived at the decision to come out
professionally that some young person out there could feel the change
I felt was coming and had been coming and would be coming. The change
we all hope for and work for and wait for in our lives as LGBTQ
folks.”
Carver added that while he grew up in
an accepting family, he felt shame about his sexuality.
“LGBTQ kids really suffer from the
shaming they interject on the Internet, often at school, and sadly
sometimes at home,” he said.