GLAADiators

After a particularly frustrating day at work on Saturday, I made it just in time -- and drenched in rain -- to the 21st annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square Saturday night. For those who don't know, these high-profile events in New York, L.A. and San Francisco are huge fundraisers for the media watchdog group GLAAD, whose mission is dedicated "to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation." Awards were given out in a number of categories (television shows, movies, newspapers, TV news), while Cynthia Nixon and Joy Behar were honored for their support of LGBT issues.

While I must admit that I'm not much of an awards show queen (I generally don't even watch the Oscars or Grammys let alone second-tier and third-tier shows), once I settled into my seat in the nosebleed section "press balcony" -- alongside Matthew Rettenmund of Boy Culture, Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God. and Jason Tseng of the Bilerico Project -- I did find myself moved from time to time by the words and images presented on the oh-so-distant stage.

Highlights included Sigourney Weaver's emotional acceptance speech for "Prayers for Bobby" (having a REAL movie star there was so exciting with so many Jill Zarins running around the joint), a surprisingly reserved Joy Behar ("I don't like this, there's too much attention all on me") accepting her Excellence in Media award from Meredith Vieira remembering how it was only the "downtown" (read: gay) crowd who "got" her in her early days of stand-up, and a luminescent Cynthia Nixon, accepting the Vito Russo Award from "Sex and the City" creator Mark David Chapman Michael Patrick King for her tireless work for the rights of LGBT families. "I've been straight and I've been gay, and gay is better! Not because it's more fun, or more edgy or more attention-getting, although it's all of those things. As a gay person ... I'm a better parent, person and citizen. As a gay person, I can't take things for granted. I have to reinvent the wheel. We are drawing our own blueprint as we're living it."

The most awe-inspiring moment came when Will Phillips, the 10-year-old boy who made headlines when he refused to say the Pledge of Alliance because he didn't believe there actually was "liberty and justice for all" when it came to gays and lesbians, whose acceptance speech for the Outstanding Journalism Segment was more eloquent and poised than most speeches I've ever heard from adults (this kid could well be the next Harvey Milk).

For a complete list of winners, click HERE.

You can also read a lengthy write-up with lots of red-carpet photos and interviews by Matt -- who jokingly said of this blogger threeway: "If that balcony had collapsed, the blogging world would've been brought to its very knees" -- HERE and Joe's post HERE. Oh, and for those keeping score on my new fashionista status, the sweater's by Ballantyne, the tie's John Varvatos, and the boots were Giorgio Armani.