Nina Kennedy Walks the Red Carpet at the GLAAD Media Awards

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Nina Kennedy

The stars came out for the 33rd GLAAD Media Awards at the New York Midtown Hilton May 6th, the first GMAs since 2019. Our own Nina Kennedy was invited to walk the Red Carpet as the 2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for her book Practicing for Love: A Memoir. 

Cynthia Nixon
Other celebrities on the Red Carpet included Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss. Cynthia Nixon remembered Nina from the NYWIFT (New York Women in Film and Television) Muse Awards, and embraced her warmly. Actor Judith Light came to receive the  Excellence in Media Award, and was introduced by Oscar winner and star of West Side Story Ariana DeBose.


Kandi Burruss
The Red Carpet was also graced with the presence of the new White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. GLAAD Board Chair Pamela Stewart introduced Secretary Jean-Pierre who received a rousing standing ovation. "Thank you, family," were her first words as she addressed the sold-out crowd. She is now the first black and first openly lesbian White House Press Secretary.


White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Kandi Burruss requested an autographed copy of Nina's book Practicing for Love. She began to read it on the Red Carpet, and couldn't put it down. Nina shared with Ariana DeBose that she had participated in a master class with Leonard Bernstein (composer of West Side Story) while she was a student at Juilliard. Ariana swooned and said to Nina, "I can't wait to read your book!"

Ariana thrilled the audience with an impromptu a cappella rendition of the final verse of "Somewhere" from West Side Story. The audience was visibly moved, and gave her a thunderous standing ovation.

Ariana DeBose and Peppermint

"There's a place for us, somewhere, a place for us. Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there. Somehow! Someday! Somewhere!"

It's as if those words were written especially for the LGBTQ community. Congratulations to GLAAD for a stellar fundraising event, and for supporting and serving the LGBTQ community for 37 years.


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