Logo

Barker, Mullally Up for Kudos

Mar 22, 2004  •  Post A Comment

Special awards for writer Clive Barker and actress Megan Mullally will highlight this year’s San Francisco leg of the GLAAD Media Awards, set for June 5 at Union Square’s Westin St. Francis.
The annual San Francisco event, which began in 2000, is the youngest of the three such awards ceremonies sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “We needed to recognize the huge dot-com boom, much of it in the San Francisco area, and how that affected media presentation and digital technologies,” said Jason Burlingame, the organization’s director of special events.
Mr. Barker, one of the world’s most prolific writers in the horror genre, will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award, named in memory of Craig Davidson, GLAAD’s first executive director, and his partner, Michael Valentini. Mr. Barker is best known for 20 years of thrillers, including “Sacrament,” which featured an openly gay protagonist and addressed the impact of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco as part of its backdrop.
He was also the executive producer of the feature film “Gods and Monsters,” which dealt with the final days of openly gay film director James Whale. Along with his husband, photographer David Armstrong, Mr. Barker produced the upcoming feature “Flesh.”
Ms. Mullally, an Emmy-winning actress, is best known as the gin-guzzling socialite Karen on the hit NBC series “Will & Grace.” She will receive the Golden Gate Award, given to a member of the media community who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights in the gay and lesbian community.
In addition to her TV work, Ms. Mullally has strong Broadway credentials, including the revivals of “How to Succeed in Business” and “Grease.” Ms. Mullally endeared herself to GLAAD followers in 1999 when she spoke openly about her own fluid sexuality in an interview with The Advocate. She has been active in GLAAD’s human rights campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Center in Los Angeles.