The Logo Trailblazer Honors 2017 awards ceremony airs tonight on Logo and VH1 — with Cyndi Lauper and the creators of Will & Grace, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, among the honorees.
The ceremony, now in its third year, pays tribute to people who have played leading roles in supporting equality and making the world a better place for LGBTQ people.
The event will be held at NYC’s Cathedral of Saint John the Devine, which was one of the city’s first religious institutions to stand up for the causes of the LGBTQ community.
Mutchnick and Kohan first brought Will & Grace to our screens in 1998, featuring two openly gay male characters in leading roles — Eric McCormack as Will Truman and Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland.
The show has been credited with bringing a new level of visibility to the LGBTQ community during its eight-year run in which it won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for a total of 84.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said the show “did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has” on LGBTQ issues.
The show is set to return for 12 episodes in the fall. Mutchnick and Kohan will be honored at the Logo Trailblazer Honors by Will & Grace stars McCormack, Hayes, Debra Messing, and Megan Mullally.
Cyndi Lauper has been a long-time trailblazer for the LGBTQ community, including helping set up the True Colors Fund, which works to end homeless amongst LGBTQ youth.
She told NewNowNext: “It is truly an honor to be recognized as a trailblazer by Logo. I am friend and family to the LGBTQ community and it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to stand arm-in-arm with the people I love and care about as we push towards equality.”
Also being honored are AIDS and LGBT rights activist Cleve Jones and late choreographer Alvin Ailey, who died from AIDS in 1989. He has been credited with breaking down barriers for both African-Americans and LGBTQ people in the dance industry.
Watch a clip of Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson below talking about Will & Grace and how it has helped the LGBTQ community.
The 2017 Logo Trailblazer Honors airs tonight at 9/8c on VH1 and Logo.