LOS ANGELES – GLAAD has announced it will honor actress Ruby Rose at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton April 2.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the GLAAD Media Awards will be televised exclusively on Logo in a one-hour special premiering Monday, April 4 at 10PM ET/PT.
Rose will receive GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is presented to an LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance. The award is named after a successful casting director, who devoted the last part of his life to raising awareness in the entertainment industry about the discrimination faced by LGBT and HIV-positive people. Previous Stephen F. Kolzak honorees include Laverne Cox, Wanda Sykes, Chaz Bono, Robert Greenblatt, Melissa Etheridge, Bill Condon, Todd Haynes, Alan Ball, Ellen DeGeneres, and Sir Ian McKellen.
Award-winning actress Ruby Rose captured mainstream attention with her breakout role on Netflix’s critically-acclaimed hit show Orange Is the New Black. Rose’s character, inmate Stella Carlin, was introduced in the third season as a romantic interest for Piper, the series’ lead. Identifying as a lesbian and gender fluid, Rose has encouraged understanding of gender identities outside of the traditional binary. In 2014, she wrote, produced, and starred in the short film “Break Free,” a tribute to gender nonconforming people that became a viral hit, garnering more than 17 million views on YouTube.
Rose is an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, tirelessly voicing her support for marriage equality, standing against bullying, and advocating on behalf of transgender and gender nonconforming people. Rose is also a fervent supporter of youth mental health, women’s rights, and animal welfare.
Rose will next be seen starring in Paramount Pictures’ XXX: The Return of Xander Cage opposite Vin Diesel, on January 20, 2017; alongside Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter out January 27, 2017 by Sony Screen Gems; and John Wick: Chapter Two, with Keanu Reeves from Lionsgate which will hit theatres on February 10, 2017.
Rose’s talent also extends across fashion and music. She has graced the pages of Elle, Vogue, InStyle, GQ, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, L’Officiel and Nylon, among many others. On the music scene, Rose became a VJ for MTV Australia in 2007, which earned her an ASTRA award, and she has performed as a DJ throughout the world.
“Ruby Rose is captivating audiences across the world, using her voice to transform conversations about gender and inclusion,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Through her visibility and outspoken advocacy, Ruby is breaking ground and inspiring dialogue that advances acceptance for people of all genders.”
The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBT community and issues that build support for equality.
GLAAD previously announced that Demi Lovato will receive the Vanguard Award at the Los Angeles event. Additional special guests and honorees for the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles will be announced.
In January, GLAAD announced 101 nominees in 20 English-language categories and 46 Spanish-language nominees in 11 categories. Nominees for the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards can be found here: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees.
