Lena Waithe and Greg Berlanti To Be Honored At TrevorLIVE New York Gala

Lena Waithe and Greg Berlanti, two prolific queer creators who have had a killer year in film and TV, will be honored this summer at The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE New York Gala.

The organization will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a star-studded gathering on June 11th. Waithe, who historically won a comedy writing Emmy last year for her coming out episode on Master of None, continued her streak in creating queer television. The writer-actor-director’s show The Chi, of her own creation, debuted in January, which featured queer female characters. Waithe also starred in the blockbuster hit Ready Player One, which premiered last month, and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair.

While Waithe is seemingly just getting started with her critically acclaimed career, Berlanti’s work has pervaded our screens for over a decade, beginning with the gay storyline on Dawson’s Creek. This year alone, he’s produced queer-inclusive series like Black Lightning, Riverdale, and Supergirl, and directed the gay romantic comedy Love, Simon.

The Trevor Project chose to honor the two creators for “their commitment to supporting the Trevor Project’s mission to provide crisis intervention services and end suicide among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning LGBTQ young people under age 25.”

Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, spoke highly of Waithe, Berlanti, and the third honoree, Dominic Barton of global consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

“Lena Waithe, Greg Berlanti and Dominic Barton have each made an unprecedented positive impact on the lives of young LGBTQ people in the last year,” Paley said in a statement. “We’re incredibly excited to honor them for their commitment to fostering an accepting environment for LGBTQ youth through their innovative work and leadership.”

Both creators are set to receive the Hero Award, Waithe for her historic Emmy win, in which she was the first woman of color to win the award for best writing in a comedy series, Berlanti for his widespread presence in queer television, as well as his work on Love, Simon.

“It’s one of the greatest honors of my life to be honored by such a phenomenal organization like the Trevor Project,” Waithe said. “The work that they do is invaluable to the community, and I hope to continue to do work that is worthy of this honor.”

Berlanti, too, is thankful for the organization’s recognition, saying, “I have immense admiration for the Trevor Project and their ongoing efforts to provide a safe place for the LGBTQ community and youth in need.”

The fundraiser and celebration will feature “an irreverent evening of music and comedy” at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on June 11.