Chaz Bono picked up a pair of trophies at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Mary Bono Mack watches at The 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 21, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci)
The 43-year-old transgender activist and author was honored with
the outstanding documentary prize and Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 23rd annual Media Awards for the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation. Bono won along with directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato for “Becoming Chaz,” the OWN
documentary that chronicled his gender transition.
Bono, who was the first-ever transgender contestant on ABC’s
“Dancing with the Stars” last year, was also given the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is given by GLAAD to a gay, lesbian,
bisexual or transgender member of the entertainment community. Past winners have included Ellen DeGeneres, Rufus Wainwright,
Wanda Sykes, John Waters and Melissa Etheridge.
Other honorees at Saturday night’s `s ceremony at the Westin
Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles were ABC’s “Modern Family” for comedy series, Focus Features drama “Beginners”
starring Ewan McGregor and supporting actor Oscar winner Christopher Plummer for wide-release film, and Lifetime’s “Drop
Dead Diva” and TV Land’s “Hot in Cleveland” in a tie for individual TV episode.
“The Hunger Games” star Josh
Hutcherson won the Vanguard Award, which lauds efforts to increase visibility and understanding of the gay, lesbian, bisexual
or transgender community. Earlier this year, he began working with the anti-bullying campaign Straight But Not Narrow. The
19-year-old actor is the youngest recipient to ever win the Vanguard Award.
The awards salute fair, accurate and
inclusive representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives in
the media. Other winners from among this year’s 35 categories were previously honored at a March ceremony in New York, while
the remainder will be presented at a San Francisco ceremony in June.
