Gay Rights Shine at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards

Following Mississippi teen Constance McMillen's prom cancellation, Johnny Weir's being turned down for Stars on Ice and, of course, One Life To Live's only gay storyline being cut from the series, Saturday night's GLAAD Awards could not have come at a better time.

Sex and the City's own Tony Award Winner, Cynthia Nixon, was honored with the Vito Russo Award, which is presented to openly gay or lesbian members of the entertainment community making strides in eliminating homophobia. Past winners include RuPaul, Rosie O'Donnell, and Tom Ford. Most recently, Nixon has been working with Fight Back New York, a group focused on marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

The other special honoree of the night was Joy Behar, a co-host of The View since 1997. Behar was presented with an Excellence in Media Award for her work to increase understanding and visibility of the LBGT community.

ABC's Brothers and Sisters won Outstanding Drama Series, while NBC's new Thursday night hit, Parks and Recreation, picked up Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character).

Oprah Winfrey beat out Ellen DeGeneres for Outstanding Talk Show Episode. However, it was a win for both women, as Oprah was recognized for her interview with DeGeneres and wife, Portia de Rossi.

The New York Times dominated awards in journalism, sweeping all four categories in which it was nominated, including Outstanding Newspaper Article, Outstanding Magazine Article, Outstanding Newspaper Columnist, and Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage.

It was a tie for the online writing world as Brent Hartinger (AfterElton.com) and John Buccigross (ESPN) won for Outstanding Digital Journalism.

In the Spanish-Language categories, Más Sabe el Diablo won for Outstanding Novela, while Outstanding Talk Show Interview went to El Show de Cristina. Telemundo and Univision tied for Outstanding TV Journalism with "En el cuerpo equivocado" (Primer Impacto) and "Damas gracias: Entrevista con Eva Leivas-Andino" (Al Rojo Vivo).

Not enough GLAAD for you? Check back in on April 17th and June 5th for more awards and more winners.

Photos by Wireimage/courtesy of GLAAD.