TV powerhouse Ryan Murphy will be recognised for his contribution to LGBTIQ+ representation in the mainstream media, receiving the Vito Russo Award at this year's GLAAD Media Awards in New York City.
According to GLAAD, The Vito Russo Award is presented annually to an openly LGBTIQ+ media professional who has made a significant difference in accelerating acceptance, with Murphy's long list of TV credits regularly championing trans and queer voices and paving the way for diverse storytelling.
Murphy is the creative mind behind beloved shows including Glee, American Horror Story, Pose, and The Politician.
The Vito Russo Award has previously been given to prominent LGBTIQ+ entertainers and media personalities including Ricky martin, RuPaul, Billy Porter, Anderson Cooper, and Cynthia Nixon.
“Ryan Murphy is a talented trailblazer behind some of the most innovative and popular LGBTIQ+ projects in television, theater and film history, and he continues to bring underrepresented LGBTIQ+ voices to the table in ways that raise the bar in Hollywood,” GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.
“Ryan’s unique and gifted brand of storytelling has not only entertained the masses, but provided LGBTIQ+ youth with characters who inspire them to live boldly and proudly. "
Murphy is currently for TV screens in what promises to be a "huge Netflix movie event".
Premiering in 2016, The Prom tells the story of a group of four down-and-out theatre actors who take it upon themselves to help a teenage girl whose school prom was cancelled when she tried to bring her girlfriend as a date.
It's set in Indiana, Murphy's home state.
