GLSEN Congratulates ABC’s ‘Modern Family’ for 6 Emmys, To Honor the Show at the Respect Awards – Los Angeles Oct. 8

GLSEN will be first national LGBT organization to honor hit show

NEW YORK, August 30, 2010 – GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, congratulates ABC’s “Modern Family,” a groundbreaking hit comedy that includes the positive portrayal of a family headed by LGBT parents and has addressed bullying in schools, for its six Emmy wins Sunday, including Outstanding Comedy Series. GLSEN will honor the show at the Respect Awards – Los Angeles, Presented by Centropolis Entertainment, on Oct. 8 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“We congratulate ABC’s ‘Modern Family’ for its well-deserved six Emmy wins and 14 nominations,” GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. “The show positively reflects the realities of diverse families and deals sensitively with the crucial current issue of bullying, and GLSEN is thrilled to see the show receive such terrific acclaim and recognition. GLSEN looks forward to being the first national LGBT organization to honor ‘Modern Family,’ at our Respect Awards – Los Angeles on Oct. 8.”

GLSEN also will honor Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the GLSEN Educator of the Year, presented by Sodexo, and longtime supporters Eugene Kapalowski and Dan Renberg.

The Respect Awards, held annually in Los Angeles and New York, recognize individual and corporate leaders who have helped propel GLSEN's efforts to ensure safe schools for all of America's students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Respect Awards – Los Angeles co-chairs are Linda Bell Blue, Executive Producer of Entertainment Tonight; Kevin Brockman, Executive Vice President of Global Communications for Disney/ABC Television Group; Michael Lombardo, President of Programming for HBO; and Chip Sullivan, Head of Publicity for Dreamworks Studios.

Past Respect Awards – Los Angeles honorees include: HBO, Shonda Rhimes, David C. Bohnett, 2009 Student Advocate of the Year Austin Laufersweiler, Disney/ABC Television Group, Lance Bass, Darren Star, Dr. Neal Baer, Greg Berlanti, Hon. James C. Hormel, Hon. Sheila Kuehl, Cisco Systems, James Howe, Virginia Uribe, Moises Kaufman, IBM, Frankie Martinez and Jeff Quinn.