Two major forces in television, Shonda Rhimes and president of HBO Programming Michael Lombardo, never back down when it comes to depicting LGBT issues onscreen. The two were honored at the Human Rights Campaign’s annual dinner, hosted by Dana Goldberg on Saturday night at the JW Marriott at LA Live.
Scandal star Guillermo Diaz who presented Rhimes with the Ally for Equality award, “She did it. Shonda took a chance and cast a gay latino from Washington Heights to portray this amazing character. She saw past all those things that people in this business usually see first.”
Diaz exclaimed that, since the majority of acting roles are usually written for white, straight actors, he was once afraid to tell Rhimes he had been in a relationship with a man for 11 years. He knew Rhimes was in his corner when he partied with castmates Kerry Washington and Katie Lowes at the GLAAD awards dinner after party in San Francisco.
