SATURDAY: Wanda Sykes to host HRC’s LA Gala Dinner
March 13, 2009
Comedianne Wanda Sykes will host HRC's 2009 Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards on March 14th at the Hyatt Century Plaza in Century City, California. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) will deliver the keynote address at the event. Julian Bond, who has served since 1998 as Chairman of the Board of the NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States, will also be a featured speaker at the event. Under Bond’s leadership, in advance of a legal challenge to the amendment, NAACP decried Prop 8 as discriminatory and dangerous to the California Constitution and said it would undermine the concept of equal protection and opportunity for all. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a longtime ally of the LGBT community, will also be a featured speaker at the Gala Dinner. West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran will be honored with the HRC Community Hero Award for his contributions to the LGBT community. Actors T.R. Knight and Jane Lynch will also be in attendance. And here's something very cool: guests at the gala will also vote via live text messaging on their cell phones to select the top online activist video, sponsored by AT&T. TODAY is the last day to vote for your favorite video at http://www.hrcladinner.com/ehero/index.html. The video earning the highest number of votes will receive the E-Hero Award. The five finalists, which will be screened during the HRC Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards, can also be viewed at www.hrcladinner.com. For more information about the HRC Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards, visit www.hrcladinner.com. WHAT: 2009 Los Angeles Gala and Hero Awards WHEN: Saturday, March 14th at 5:30 PT WHERE: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles Ballroom 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, California TICKET INFO: Tickets for the event may be reserved online at www.hrcladinner.com or by calling Robin Winston at Levy, Pazanti & Associates, at 310-201-5033, x 14. MEDIA CREDENTIALS: Media pre-registration required. To receive credentials for the dinner, please e-mail your request to press@hrc.org.
