Winners of the 25th anniversary Stonewall Awards were announced at a prestigious ceremony attended by over 500 guests at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Unlike almost all such ceremonies I attend throughout the year, this one is unique. The actual ceremony is just an hour-long, during which winners of the ten categories are revealed, seamlessly. Also, guests are sat in rows on each side of the aisle, as opposed to round-tables. There is a drinks reception before and after the ceremony. During the latter, an army of unisex waiters donning black aprons offer guests a variety of delicacies in bowls, on this occasion it was soup, pasta, cod with mushy peas and savouries.
This year’s ceremony, held on Thursday a fortnight ago, was hosted by Julian Clary, the openly gay English comedian and novelist, and Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt. During the ceremony waiters snaked around the room offering popcorn on trays, wine and champagne. Guests included Diane Abbott MP, the sacked shadow public health minister, who was in a merry mood; EastEnders’ Danny Dyer, Sue Perkins and TV show How to Look Good Naked’s Gok Wan, a humble and down-to-earth personality who chose to sit towards the back with his friends. Also present was paediatrician Dr Ranj Singh, a successful NHS doctor, specialising in the care of children and young people, also a popular personality in the British medical media community
Lord Michael Cashman won a standing ovation on being announced as the Politician of the Year at the 2014 Stonewall Awards. This award was jointly bestowed upon Liberal Democrat Home Office Lynne Featherstone.
Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband hugged his “friend” Lord Cashman, Stonewall founder, as he presented a trophy to him. Lord Cashman blew a kiss to the audience as he stepped off stage. The i newspaper was named Publication of the Year for its coverage of gay issues throughout the year. 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.
Other winners on the night included Emmerdale’s Alicya Eyo who was crowned Entertainer of the Year. “This is the first award I’ve won, ever, in my life,” smiled Alicya as she accepted her trophy. Ugandan activist Pepe Julian Onziema was voted Hero of the Year by thousands of Stonewall supporters for his tireless work campaigning for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people despite threats of violence. Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s CEO, described Pepe “a global beacon of hope”, adding, “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.”
A recent report entitled One Minority at a Time revealed there are still serious failings in public services to meet the needs of Britain’s 400,000 black and minority ethnic LGBT people. The report exposes widespread assumptions that black people are heterosexual, with little effort being made to correct this view. One participant in the research said: “I think I can either be gay or I can be South Asian, or I can be a Hindu. The fact that I can be all three becomes very difficult for people to comprehend.” To find out more about the Stonewall Awards visit www.stonewall.org.uk/awards
