Prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy will be honored by GLAAD this year for making “a significant difference in accelerating LGBTQ acceptance.”
The media watchdog announced Thursday that “The Politician” director will be this year’s recipient of its prestigious Vito Russo Award when the 31st GLAAD Media Awards take place in New York on March 19. The producer joins this year’s other GLAAD honorees, singer Taylor Swift and Murphy’s “Pose” co-writer, director and producer Janet Mock, who will be honored at the organization’s Los Angeles awards ceremony on April 16.
“Ryan Murphy is a talented trailblazer behind some of the most innovative and popular LGBTQ projects in television, theater and film history, and he continues to bring underrepresented LGBTQ voices to the table in ways that raise the bar in Hollywood,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement to The Times.
Ellis added: “Ryan’s unique and gifted brand of storytelling has not only entertained the masses but provided LGBTQ youth with characters who inspire them to live boldly and proudly.”
The award, named after the advocacy group’s founder, is presented to an openly LGBTQ media professional. Previous honorees include “Pose” star Billy Porter, journalist Anderson Cooper, musician Ricky Martin and TV personalities Andy Cohen and RuPaul.
Murphy’s other high-profile and multihyphenate projects include “The Normal Heart,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Scream Queens,” “Glee” and the anthologies “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story” and “Feud.” He’s won six Emmy Awards, a BAFTA, a 2019 Tony Award for his revival of “The Boys in the Band” and a Peabody Award over the course of his career.
He’s showing no signs of slowing down either: His next projects include the Netflix series “Ratched” and “Hollywood,” and he’ll direct the feature adaption of Broadway hit musical “The Prom,” with a cast that boasts Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden.
Murphy, 54, previously donated all profits from “Pose” and a benefit performance of “The Prom” to charitable organizations working with the LGBTQ community, such as the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, the Trevor Project and GLAAD. In 2016, he launched Half, an initiative that aims to create equal opportunities for women and minorities behind the camera in Hollywood.
Last week, GLAAD announced the nominees for its 31st GLAAD Media Awards, recognizing “Bombshell,” “Booksmart,” “Downton Abbey,” “Judy” and “Rocketman” in its film categories. In television, the dramas “Batwoman,” “Billions,” “Euphoria,” “Killing Eve,” “The L Word: Generation Q,” “The Politician,” “Pose,” “Shadowhunters,” “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Supergirl” were among the nominees. Also nominated were comedies “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Dear White People,” “Dickinson,” “One Day at a Time,” “The Other Two,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Sex Education,” “Superstore,” “Vida” and “Work in Progress.”
