Senator Barbara Boxer will be the featured speaker at the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Gala at the 2010 HRC Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards on March 13 at the Hyatt Century Plaza in Century City, California. Actress Portia de Rossi will be honored with the HRC Visibility Award.
“From her opposition to Prop 8 to her authorship of HIV/AIDS legislation, her leadership in passing the Matthew Shepard Act and the Uniting American Families Act, Barbara Boxer has shown her support for equality for all Americans, including the LGBT community,†said Andrew Arnold, co-chair of the event. “She continues to speak the truth about our issues and make positive changes in legislation to protect our rights and honor our families.â€
Portia de Rossi, who recently married Ellen DeGeneres, will be presented with the HRC Visibility Award for her courage to come out publicly and to take a stand for same-sex marriage. She is best known for her roles as lawyer Nelle Porter on the television series Ally McBeal and Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the sitcom Arrested Development — a role which she will reprise in an upcoming film adaptation of Arrested Development. She currently portrays Veronica Palmer on the ABC sitcom Better Off Ted.
The HRC E-Hero Award will be presented to the year’s most influential, inspirational and entertaining online video supporting LGBT equality which reflect this year’s theme, “Speak the Truth.†To qualify for the E-Hero Award, videos must be six minutes or less in length and must have been created specifically for online viewing and posted on the Web in 2009.
“The Internet is a crucial tool in expressing ourselves and educating the public about LGBT equality issues,†said Clare Thomas, co-chair of the event. “The E-Hero Award is a way to honor the activism and celebrate the ingenuity of the enterprising and passionate individuals and organizations who create these videos and to encourage them to keep posting them, because they do make a difference.â€
The HRC Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards is one of the largest LGBT fundraising events in Southern California, drawing more than 1,000 guests in past years, including national LGBT leaders in entertainment, community service, business and politics.
Tickets for the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards are $400 for VIP seating and $275 for general admission. Sponsor packages are available starting at $6,000. More information on sponsorship opportunities or purchase tickets log onto HRCLADinner.com or email hrcla2010gala@aol.com.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
