GLSEN Continues 10-Year Anniversary Celebration with Respect Awards Los Angeles

Sep 23, 2005

Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY – GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, continues its celebration of 10 years of work in the safer schools movement with the inaugural Respect Awards Los Angeles. James Denton, of the award-winning show Desperate Housewives and Jeri Ryan of Boston Public, Down With Love and Fox’s The O.C., are set to host the inaugural event at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 30th.

Honorees include award-winning writer and director Moises Kaufman, student organizer Frankie Martinez, GLSEN’s National Board member Jeff Quinn, and the world’s largest information technology company and largest corporate sponsor to GLSEN to date, IBM.

"As we continue to celebrate our tenth year as a national organization, it is exciting to honor the important contributions of Moises, Frankie, Jeff and IBM," said GLSEN Founder and Executive Director Kevin Jennings. "Our work to ensure that all students are safe and respected in schools could not be accomplished without the support and contributions of our allies in education, the media and corporate America."

The event replaces the annual Back 2 School event GLSEN has held previously in Hancock Park. Other notable guests include Betty DeGeneres (mother of Ellen DeGeneres), Peter Paige, Joely Fisher and others to be announced. Proud sponsors of GLSEN’s Respect Awards Los Angeles include national sponsor, IBM, senior sponsors, Cisco Systems, MTV Networks, and junior sponsors, California Teachers Association and Disney – ABC Television Group.

About GLSEN
GLSEN, or the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, now in its 10th year, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for ALL students. GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. For more information on GLSEN’s educational resources, public policy agenda, student organizing programs, research or development initiatives, visit www.glsen.org.