Ricky Martin, “Anderson Cooper 360,” “True Blood,” Oprah’s O magazine, Essence.com, comic book writer Peter David, “30 Rock,” Frank Rich, The Denver Post and Russell Simmons are among the winners of this year’s Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Awards. More winners will be announced in the coming months.

The full list of honorees can be found here.

Below, Martin says “I just wanna be free” and urges GLAAD to “spread the love” to Latin America. Simmons and Al Sharpton talk about the importance of taking action outside one’s comfort zone, when it’s inconvenient, and their challenge to hip-hop and religious leaders to embrace civil rights for all.

BBC:

The awards recognise fair, accurate and inclusive representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives in the media.

[…] Winners were revealed in 25 of this year’s 32 media categories. The remaining awards will be presented at ceremonies to be held in Los Angeles and San Francisco in April and May, respectively.

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