Gay Support Group Honors Liza Minnelli

News release from PFLAG:
Washington, D.C. – Citing her outstanding contributions as an artist to advancing equality for all, PFLAG National announced that Academy Award®-winning actress and iconic straight ally Liza Minnelli will be honored with the 2010 Straight for Equality in Entertainment award for her lifelong support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The award will be presented at PFLAG’s second annual Straight for Equality Awards Gala on May 1 at the New York Marriott Marquis.
“Liza Minnelli is the quintessential straight ally – she has been an outspoken supporter of equality for LGBT for her whole life, and her tremendous and ongoing philanthropy in the fight against AIDS has made her a very public advocate of the many individuals and their families who have been affected by the disease,” said Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG National’s executive director. “Her enormous talent makes her iconic, and her steadfast support for the LGBT community makes her an ally. We are so honored to be able to present her with the 2010 Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award.”
Minnelli, whose first professional performance was at age 17, is one of only12 individuals in the world to achieve the much sought-after designation of being an EGOT – someone who has won an Emmy (Liza with a 'Z'. A Concert for Television), Grammy (the 1990 Grammy Legend Award), Oscar (Cabaret), and Tony Award (Flora the Red Menace, Live at the Winter Garden, The Act and Liza's at the Palace....). In addition to these honors, she has also won Drama Desk Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA. Minnelli was also presented with an Honorary Doctorate by Mercy College in New York for “for her charitable activities and a career that has spanned five decades and multiple genres.”
“As someone who has been supported and touched by the LGBT community for my entire life, I can’t imagine being anything but an out and proud straight ally who doesn’t fear speaking up to anyone,” said Minnelli. “The Straight for Equality award means so much to me – it helps me know that what I’ve done and said has changed things for people.”
Straight for Equality is a project of PFLAG National that was launched in 2007 to invite, educate, and empower straight allies to demonstrate their support for their LGBT friends and family. Since its inception, the program has trained more than 3,500 people nationwide through its educational workshops in corporations, healthcare environments, and communities. The Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award was designed to honor a performer and/or artist who has a history of advocating for equality for LGBT people. The first award was presented in 2009 to actress Sigourney Weaver.
Learn more about the 2010 Straight for Equality Awards Gala by visiting www.straightforequality.org.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is the nation’s foremost family-based organization committed to the civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender people. Founded in 1973 by mothers and fathers, PFLAG has 200,000 members and supporters in more than 300 chapters throughout the United States. To learn more, please visit www.pflag.org.
Straight for Equality is a project of PFLAG National. It was launched in 2007 to invite, educate, and engage straight individuals to have the discussions necessary to move equality forward for their gay, lesbian, bi, and transgender friends in simple, nonpolitical ways. Learn more at www.straightforequality.org today.
March 24, 2010 in Arts, Bisexual, Business, Current Affairs, Fashion, Film, Food and Drink, Gay, Lesbian, LGBT, Media, Politics, Television, Theater, Transgender, Weblogs, Workplace, Youth

By PATRICK HEALY
Pflag National, a group for parents, families, and supporters of gay people, is naming Liza Minnelli the second recipient of its Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award, which recognizes an ally of gay rights who is not herself gay.
Ms. Minnelli, who has been honored for her acting and singing with Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards, has spoken out for decades in favor of causes like gay marriage and in support for gay men and lesbians, and has donated money to AIDS research. Both she and her mother, Judy Garland, have been cultural touchstones for generations of many gay artists and others by dint of their talent and their own personal struggles.
The award will be presented at a gala at the New York Marriott Marquis on May 1. The first recipient of the award, in 2009, was the actress Sigourney Weaver.

Liza Minnelli to Receive PFLAG's 2010 Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award
By: Andy Propst · Mar 24, 2010 · New York
Liza Minnelli(© Rick Day)Stage and screen legend Liza Minnelli will receive PFLAG's 2010 Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award. The honor recognizes the entertainer's lifelong support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and will be presented as part of the organization's Straight for Equality Awards Gala to be held on May 1 at the New York Marriott Marquis.
Minnelli's most recent Broadway show, Liza's at the Palace, won a 2009 Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event, and Minnelli has also won Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for Flora the Red Menace and The Act. She also won a special Tony Award in 1974 "for adding lustre to the Broadway season." She was Tony- nominated for The Rink and additional Broadway credits include Victor/Victoria and Chicago. She won the Academy Award for Cabaret and the Emmy Award for Liza With a "Z".
Straight for Equality is a project of PFLAG National that was launched in 2007 to invite, educate, and empower straight allies to demonstrate their support for their LGBT friends and family.
For further information, visit: www.straightforequality.org.