Ricky Martin is among one of four being honored at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s 49th annual Vanguard Awards Gala this year.
“Our honorees fully embody strength, compassion, and resilience. They set the stage for what will be an amazing and inspiring evening,” the Center’s CEO Lorri L. Jean said in a statement. According to Variety. “At a time when threats to the well-being of the LGBT community happen almost daily, this event will be a celebration of our collective humanity and commitment to building a world where LGBT people thrive.”
Other honorees include TV producer Greg Berlanti, his soccer-star-turned-producer husband Robbie Rogers and philanthropist Ariadne Getty.
The Vanguard Awards website describes the recipients as follows:
RICKY MARTIN – Recently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the FX Drama Series, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Ricky Martin continues to soar in his third decade as a leader in the entertainment industry. Since his first solo album release in 1991, Martin has appreciated a worldwide fan base, sold over 70 million records, and has won multiple Grammy awards. In 2004 he founded The Ricky Martin Foundation, an organization dedicated to denouncing and exposing global human trafficking, a worldwide crime that enslaves approximately 30 million people. After the catastrophic Hurricanes Irma and Maria of Puerto Rico in 2017, Martin was compelled to start an initiative to revive his homeland. The Ricky Martin Foundation organized The Puerto Rico Relief Fund which has raised almost $5 million to date.
GREG BERLANTI & ROBBIE ROGERS – WGA, DGA, and Golden Globe-nominated writer, director, and producer Greg Berlanti is the force behind the most inventive and acclaimed works in film and television. He is best known for his work as executive producer and co-creator of The CW’s Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Upcoming television projects include Lifetime’s straight-to-series thriller You; the live-action version of DC Entertainment’s Titans, as well as Doom Patrol; Chilling Adventures of Sabrina for Netflix; All American for The CW; God Friended Me and The Red Line for CBS; and recently announced Batwoman series for The CW. Berlanti will make television history with a total of 14 scripted series on the air at the same time. His most recent feature directorial project is the critically acclaimed Love, Simon. Television producer and former professional soccer player Robbie Rogers is best known as the first openly gay male athlete to compete in a top North American professional sports league. Internationally, Rogers represented the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing in 2008. Rogers published his memoir Coming Out to Play in 2014 and was inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. As an LGBT advocate, he currently works closely with charities such as GLSEN, championing LGBT issues in K‐12 Education, and serves as an Ambassador for The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, providing educational, strategic and financial assistance to grassroots organizations supporting LGBTQ communities and individuals. He will produce the upcoming new series All American to debut on The CW in October.
ARIADNE GETTY – Ariadne Getty is a lifelong philanthropist dedicated to serving disenfranchised populations. She is the president and executive director of the Ariadne Getty Foundation, which since 2004 has partnered with nonprofit organizations worldwide to improve the lives of individuals and communities through large-scale investments and social activism. In addition to financial contributions, Ariadne donates her time and energy to causes she supports. As a member of GLAAD’s board of directors since 2016, she works tirelessly to inspire and motivate others to better understand and accept the LGBTQ community.
The Vanguard Awards will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Beverly Hilton. For more information, click HERE.
