Gay Today: World

Larry King to be Honored by GLAAD

Compiled By GayToday

Larry King

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) says it will present its 1999 Vision Award to best-selling author, syndicated columnist, radio and TV personality and Peabody Award-winning talk show host Larry King.

King will be on hand to accept the award at the final ceremony of the 10th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, to be held Saturday, May 8, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC.

The Vision Award is presented to a media professional who has had long-term vision and commitment to making a significant difference in society by promoting equal rights for lesbians and gay men. Created in 1998, actor Judith Light was the first recipient of GLAAD's Vision Award.

Larry King has been in the broadcasting industry for more than 40 years. During that time, he has conducted more than 30,000 interviews and has accumulated a host of industry accolades, including multiple Peabody Awards and ten CableACE Awards.

In 1997, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

King has consistently included issues of concern to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in his writing and programming.

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:
Logan Carter Remembered

Awarding the World's Most Beloved Drag Queen

GLAAD's 1998 Media Award Nominees

Related Sites:
Larry King Live

GLAAD
GayToday does not endorse related sites.

As early as 1976 on his Miami radio program, prior to his affiliation with CNN, King interviewed transvestite stars from the Fountainbleau Hotel's Jewel Box '76, starring Logan Carter, Michael St. Laurent and Emory DuBois.

King interviewed transvestite stars such as Logan Carter while on the radio in Miami in the 1970s.

Among the topics he has covered in the last year alone: the murder of Matthew Shepard; workplace discrimination based upon sexual orientation; equal marriage rights for same-sex couples; the cancellation of Ellen, the first network television program to feature an openly lesbian lead; and many more.

And while other media outlets were sensationalistic in their coverage of the high-profile 1997 murder of designer Gianni Versace, King covered the topic with integrity and fairness.

Recent guests on Larry King Live have included Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Heche, Elton John, Martina Navratilova, Andrew Sullivan, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Chastity Bono, Elizabeth Birch and Ellen DeGeneres' mother, Betty DeGeneres.

"Larry's professional integrity, his dynamic personality, and his body of work have made him one of the most compelling voices in the media today," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry.

"He's used that voice to advocate for fairness and equality time and again, proving himself to be one of our community's most trusted allies. You'd be hard-pressed to think of someone more deserving of recognition."

Presented in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., each year, the GLAAD Media Awards honor individuals and projects in the media and entertainment industries for their balanced and accurate representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and the issues that affect their lives.

Also being honored in Washington, DC, is Armistead Maupin, bestselling author of the Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. Recipients of special awards already presented in New York (March 28) and Los Angeles (April 17) were Whoopi Goldberg (Vanguard Award), Melissa Etheridge & Julie Cypher (Stephen F. Kolzak Award) and RuPaul (Vito Russo Entertainer Award).

Absolut Vodka is the Platinum Underwriter of the 1999 GLAAD Media Awards, and American Airlines is participating as GLAAD's official airline.

For further information, or to purchase tickets, contact Levy, Pazanti & Associates at (888) 655-6529 or (310) 201-5033. General event and ticket information: www.glaad.org.