BY BTL STAFF
San Francisco – GLAAD, the world's LGBT media advocacy organization, announced Oct. 29 it will honor Michigan native Tyler Oakley at GLAAD Gala San Francisco at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square on Nov. 7.
GLAAD Gala San Francisco is presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka, Wells Fargo and Hilton Worldwide. The event is presented locally by Southwest Airlines. The event will be hosted by "Mean Girls" and "Looking" star Daniel Franzese and will feature a special performance by Grammy Award-nominated recording artist and "Selma" star Ledisi. Additional special guests include "Empire" star Jussie Smollett and the cast of HBO's "Looking."
At the gala, Oakley will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award, which is presented to an LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance for the LGBT community. The award is named after Craig Davidson, GLAAD's first executive director, and his partner Michael Valentini.
With nearly 8 million subscribers on YouTube, Tyler Oakley has become one of the most influential LGBT personalities on social media today, consistently using his platform to build understanding and acceptance of the LGBT community. His social media presence has launched a career in entertainment, with a podcast that has reached number one in the iTunes podcast chart and a national tour under his belt. Named one of Time Magazine's "30 Most Influential People on the Internet," Oakley has spoken with hundreds of media outlets about the importance of LGBT equality and acceptance, and he's used his fame to raise over a million dollars for The Trevor Project, the nation's leading organization providing crisis and suicide prevention services to LGBT youth.
"Tyler Oakley has inspired countless young LGBT people to embrace who they are and live the lives they love," said GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis. "As one of YouTube's most recognizable names and a champion of LGBT youth, he's proven time and again that digital media plays a crucial role in accelerating acceptance."
The GLAAD Gala San Francisco honors innovators in the Bay Area who advance LGBT acceptance through tech and new media and also funds GLAAD's national advocacy work to rewrite the script to accelerate acceptance.
To receive the latest updates on GLAAD Gala San Francisco, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadgala. For more information on the gala, visit www.glaad.org/sfgala.
