Jean Smart and Sterling K. Brown Honored for Queer Allyship: LGBTQ Rights and Racial Justice Are Not ‘Separate Battles’
Rance Collins Though the Human Rights Campaign gala on Saturday night in Los Angeles contended with a brief interruption by protestors calling for a Gaza ceasefire, the annual stayed largely on course, serving as a rallying cry for Democratic candidates and the LGBTQ+ community.
In addition to the keynote speech from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Jean Smart and Sterling K. Brown were honored with the National Equality Award and the Ally for Equality Award, respectively.
Smart has long been associated with series that have had a strong resonance with queer people, including “Hacks,” “Watchmen” and the 1980s sitcom “Designing Women,” which featured one of the first storylines addressing AIDS on network television. “I was asked … how I felt about being a gay icon.
And I thought, ‘Well, if I’m in the company of Judy and Liza and Bette and Joan and Bette and Cher, then I’m [honored],” Smart said. “Really, what was it about those women?
