GLAAD will present the first Ariadne Getty Ally Award to outspoken activist, LGBTQ ally, and #MeToo advocate Alyssa Milano at the 2018 GLAAD Gala in San Francisco. The annual gala will take place on Sept. 15 at the Hyatt Regency San Franciso with Emmy-winning Will and Grace actor and star of the upcoming Fox comedy The Cool Kids Leslie Jordan hosting the festivities.

GLAAD will also honor journalist Emil Wilbekin with the Ric Weiland Award which advances LGBTQ men of color in tech and media. The gala will also feature Pose star Mj Rodriguez, Ross Mathews and Michelle Visage from RuPaul’s Drag Race, tech journalist Ina Fried, and transgender pop star Kim Petras.

The GLAAD Gala San Francisco celebrates and features storytellers and tech innovators who accelerate LGBTQ acceptance and helps fund GLAAD’s digital advocacy work to grow LGBTQ inclusion in digital and social media.

The Ariadne Getty Ally Award is presented to an LGBTQ ally who uses their voice and public platform to accelerate and affect acceptance for the LGBTQ community. The award is named after philanthropist Ariadne Getty, a native of San Francisco. Getty is a member of GLAAD’s Board of Directors and announced a $15 million lead gift to support GLAAD’s work to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance at the 2018 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Getty is set to attend the gala.

Milano, who currently stars in Netflix’s Insatiable, has raised awareness around ending HIV and AIDS, was a vocal supporter of marriage equality and regularly uses social media to amplify the voices of LGBTQ people. Most recently, she has been a voice in the #MeToo movement, which was originally founded by Tarana Burke in 2006. Hollywood has since joined the movement in the wake of sexual abuse, assault and misconduct allegations that have flooded the industry since the downfall of Harvey Weinstein. She is a UNICEF National Ambassador and testified before Congress on behalf of an Equal Rights Amendment that would write anti-discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. Most recently, she spoke against Brett Kavanaugh during the “Rise Up For Roe” tour, citing threats to LGBTQ and women’s rights.

Original Post by Dino-Ray Ramos on Deadline

GLAAD To Honor Alyssa Milano With Inaugural Ariadne Getty Ally Award