Bill Clinton honored at GLAAD Media Awards

GLAAD Media Awards went to The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The New Normal on Saturday night for their thoughtful depictions of gay characters, while former President Bill Clinton received the inaugural Advocate for Change Award for his work campaigning to legalize same-sex marriage.

It was a redemptive moment for the ex-president, who in 1996 signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a partnership only between a man and a woman. In recent years, Clinton has campaigned against anti-gay legislation proposed in various states, and has publicly called for the Supreme Court to overturn the law he once signed.

The awards recognize “inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.”

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a film written and directed by the book’s author, Stephen Chbosky, featured a charismatic supporting performance by Ezra Miller as an openly gay high school student who fearlessly refuses to hide who he is, with help from friends played by Emma Watson and Logan Lerman.

The New Normal, a TV comedy co-created by Glee‘s Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler, stars Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha as a gay couple having a child through a surrogate (Georgia King) while dealing with her outspoken, conservative mother, played by Ellen Barkin.

Here are the other honorees at the Los Angeles event:

Advocate for Change Award: President Bill Clinton

Stephen F. Kolzak Award: Entertainment attorney Steve Warren

Film: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Summit Entertainment)

TV Comedy Series: The New Normal (NBC)

Individual TV Episode: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Me What to Do” Raising Hope (Fox)

TV Movie or Mini-Series: American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)

Daytime Drama: Days of Our Lives (NBC)

Talk Show Episode: “At Home with Neil Patrick Harris, His Fiancé David Burtka, & Their Twins” Oprah’s Next Chapter (OWN)

Los Angeles Theater: The Children by Michael Elyanow

Spanish Language awards:

Daytime Talk Show Episode: “Confirma su identidad como mujer” Showbiz (CNN en Español)

TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: TIE: “Los transexuales buscan su identidad en medio de ignorancia y prejuicios” Encuentro (CNN en Español) and “La vida en rosa” Aquí y Ahora (Univision)

Newspaper Article: “Gays y padres excelentes” by Pilar Marrero (La Opinión)