Ugandan activist Pepe Julian Onziema was named Hero of the Year at the annual Stonewall Awards in London last night.
ENTERTAINER of the Year went to Emmerdale’s Alicya Eyo, Liz MacKean of Dispatches scooped Journalist of the Year and Lord Cashman and Lynn Featherstone MP shared the award for Politician of the Year.
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.
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).
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.
Stonewall founder Lord Cashman was jointly named as Politician of the Year alongside Liberal Democrat Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone. When presenting the award, Labour leader Ed Miliband paid 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.
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 received a cheque for £5,000 – 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 while 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.
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.
This year’s judging panel, featured: 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 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)
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