TV talk show host Kelly Ripa said Saturday that it was “odd” to be recognized in the 2015 GLAAD Media Awards for “treating people like people.”
The Live! with Kelly and Michael co-host received the Excellence in Media Award for “sharing inclusive stories with her audience and loudly voicing support for her LGBT friends and fans,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement.
“It’s kind of odd, in a way, that I should be given an award based on the fact that I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by, loved by and influenced by this community my entire life,” Ripa said during her acceptance speech. “Or, quite frankly, that I should be celebrated for treating people like people.”
Ripa, who lives in New York with her husband Mark Consuelos, added that she was thankful that her children are living in an environment of acceptance, which she acknowledged is not the case in many parts of the nation and the world.
“A few years ago, our youngest son Joaquin asked me if it was legal for me to be married to Mark, because all of our friends at the time getting married were same-sex couples,” Ripa recalled. “It dawned on him that a heterosexual couple getting married might actually be illegal.”
“Like everybody in this room, I watch hoping and trusting that [the expansion of LGBT rights] will move the nation towards the same type of acceptance that my own children are growing up with here in New York City.”
Silent No More: Early Days in the Fight for Gay Rights
Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, California, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, New York, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, New York, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, New York, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights protest, New York, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay Pride, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay Activists Alliance, New York, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights rally, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesGay rights event, 1971.Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
