Pride, the heart-warming story of gay activists supporting striking miners, was among the big winners at last night’s (6 November) Stonewall Awards, held at the V&A and supported by Bloomberg, E.ON, Google, Paddy Power and State Street. The film was named Broadcast of the Year at the glitzy ceremony, with Andrew Scott, star of the film and BBC’s Sherlock, collecting the prize.
Emmerdale’s Alicya Eyo took home the accolade of Entertainer of the Year for her portrayal of lesbian character Ruby Haswell and her advocacy as an openly-lesbian role model.
More than 500 people, including celebrities, sports stars, politicians and writers, joined host Julian Clary at the ceremony to honour those who’ve made a positive contribution to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (LGBT).
Ugandan activist Pepe Julian Onziema was voted Hero of the Year by thousands of Stonewall supporters for his tireless work campaigning for equality for LGBT people despite threats of violence. Pepe has previously been named Global Citizen by the Clinton Global Initiative for his human rights advocacy work.
The Older Lesbian, Gay and Trans Association (OLGA) was named Community Group of the Year by Stonewall supporters for their work to support older members of the LGBT community. The group was presented with a cheque for £5,000 – kindly provided by State Street – to continue their work.
Channel 4’s Liz MacKean was named Journalist of the Year for the hard-hitting Dispatches documentary Hunted that exposed the brutal treatment of gay people in Putin’s Russia.
The i newspaper was named Publication of the Year for its coverage of gay issues throughout the year including coverage of the Sochi Winter Games and Thomas Hitzlsperger’s coming out.
Stonewall founder Lord Cashman was jointly named as Politician of the Year alongside Liberal Democrat Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone. Labour leader Ed Miliband took to the stage to pay tribute to Michael Cashman’s partner, Paul Cottingham, who passed away in October. He praised them both for their relentless work to promote equality in both Britain and around the world.
Sarah Water’s page-turner The Paying Guests earns her the accolade of Writer of the Year. Her latest book was praised by the judges for its compelling and complex narrative.
Pride House scooped this year’s Sports Award for their work to support LGBT athletes and fans during this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Being gay is illegal in 42 of 53 Commonwealth countries – making it vital to send a powerful signal to visitors and athletes from around the world.
London Pride and Barclays were honoured for their #FreedomTo campaign that saw positive messages supporting LGBT equality emblazoned on buses and banks across the capital.
This year’s winners were chosen by a star-studded judging panel, featuring Baroness Barker, Charlie Condou, Jonathan Harvey, Paris Lees and Dr. Ranj Singh.
Stonewall Chief Executive Ruth Hunt said: ‘Stonewall’s 2014 Award winners really do demonstrate the passion, commitment and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people and their allies, who together make the world a better place.
‘Our Hero of the Year, Pepe Julian Onziema, is a global beacon of hope who inspires and influences so many people – not just those in his home country of Uganda, but all those fighting for equality around the globe.’
The winners
Hero of the Year (supported by E.ON) – Pepe Julian Onziema
Broadcast of the Year (supported by Bloomberg) – Pride
Entertainer of the Year – Alicya Eyo (Emmerdale)
Journalist of the Year (supported by Bloomberg) – Liz MacKean
Politician of the Year – Lord Cashman and Lynne Featherstone MP
Publication of the Year – i
Sports Award of the Year (supported by Paddy Power) – Pride House
Writer of the Year – Sarah Waters
Community Group of the Year (supported by State Street) – OLGA (Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Association)
Advert of the Year – London Pride and Barclays (#FreedomTo)
