Kim Cattrall To Be Honored at GLAAD Media Awards May 14

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today announced it will honor Golden Globe-winning actress Kim Cattrall at the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco, presented by RÖKK Vodka. Cattrall will receive the Golden Gate Award at the ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2011, presented locally by Southwest Airlines at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.

Naya Rivera, from Fox's hit series Glee, will host the event.

GLAAD also announced that tech journalist Kara Swisher will receive the Local Hero Award, and AT&T will receive the Corporate Leader Award. Other guests expected to attend include: Sara Ramirez (Grey's Anatomy); Mario Lopez (Extra); rugby player Ben Cohen; Nelsan Ellis (True Blood); Dustin Lance Black, Reed Cowan (8: The Mormon Proposition); Tabatha Coffey (Tabatha Takes Over); Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right); Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie); John Gidding (Designed to Sell); openly gay Mexican pop star Christian Chávez and a special performance from Cirque du Soleil® Zumanity. More names to be announced.

Award recipients in the following three categories will also be announced: Outstanding Film - Wide Release, Outstanding Documentary, and Outstanding Spanish-Language Music Artist. A complete list of nominees for the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards are available here: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/22/nominees. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

Kim Cattrall's extensive and celebrated acting career has spanned film, stage and television, and she is a New York Times best-selling author. The most indelible mark Cattrall has made on entertainment and pop culture has been her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's Sex and the City. Cattrall has been recognized for her work in the series with a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, and five Emmy Award nominations. On the four-time GLAAD Media Award-nominated show, many of the storylines were LGBT-inclusive, including Samantha's relationship with her lesbian friend Maria, one of the very few relationships Samantha took seriously. As a strong supporter of the LGBT community, Cattrall has appeared on the cover of The Advocate and spoken out for marriage equality. She can currently be seen in the new film Meet Monica Velour and will star in Noël Coward's Private Lives on Broadway this fall.

GLAAD's Golden Gate Award is presented to media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Previous recipients include Megan Mullally, Jennifer Beals, Stockard Channing, Cybill Shepherd, Jennifer Tilly, James Schamus, and Brooke Shields.

"Kim Cattrall has not only grown acceptance of our community through storylines on shows like Sex and the City, but used her platform to speak out for equality," said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. "We are proud to honor such a talented and passionate advocate."

Kara Swisher, a former Wall Street Journal columnist and author of two books on the rise and fall of AOL, will receive the Local Hero Award. She has been covering the impact of digital technologies on business and society since the early 1990s, for both the Journal and previously at the Washington Post. For Dow Jones, she co-produces the Wall Street Journal's executive digital technology conference, "D: All Things Digital," where she has interviewed major industry player such as Apple's Steve Jobs, Microsoft's Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Swisher is also co-executive editor of the All Things Digital Web site, where she has also covered the intersection of LGBT issues with technology including reports about LGBT-related viral videos. Swisher has also chronicled her marriage to Google executive Megan Smith and challenges facing the couple and their two sons in "The Louie Chronicles" on the Huffington Post.

"Through her writings and reporting, Kara Swisher has not only raised awareness for what it is like to be gay or lesbian, but helped to keep the technology industry full inclusive," said Barrios.

Previous GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies were held in New York on March 19, 2011 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, and in Los Angeles on April 10 at the Westin Bonaventure.

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad and use the hashtag #glaadawards. In 2011, the GLAAD Media Awards will also celebrate GLAAD's 25th anniversary year, looking back at a quarter-century of work to build acceptance and advance equality through LGBT images in the media.

The GLAAD Media Awards fund GLAAD's work to bring stories of LGBT people and issues to Americans. Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco bring together more than 5,000 supporters to raise funds for the organization's work.

More than 100 corporate partners are showing their support, including National Presenting corporate partner RÖKK Vodka, New York Presenting corporate partners American Airlines and Prudential, Los Angeles Presenting partner Wells Fargo and San Francisco Presenting partner Southwest Airlines. GLAAD is also grateful to the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards Platinum Underwriter corporate partners: Anheuser-Busch, Inc., NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP and Time Warner, as well as Underwriter corporate partners: Allstate Insurance Company, AT&T, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Bunim-Murray Productions, Comcast, Delta Air Lines, DLA Piper, Caesar's Foundation, IBM, MillerCoors, New York City Marriott & Renaissance Hotels, PricewaterhouseCoopers, UBS and VPI Pet Insurance.

For a full list of corporate partners and information on how to become a corporate partner, or to become a table host, purchase tickets or place a tribute in the tribute book, please call (877) 519-7904 or visit http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards.

About GLAAD: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, visit www.glaad.org.

More Articles by This Author...