George and Brad Takei Honored at 45th Anniversary Vanguard Awards

George Takei and bosses at Marvel Entertainment were honored for their advocacy for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community on Saturday night.

The Star Trek star and his husband Brad were given the International Vanguard Award from The Los Angeles LGBT Center at their 45th Anniversary Vanguard Awards in California.

The two have been staunch champions for equality, and while accepting the prize, Takei noted that his career as an actor has helped earn more visibility for the LGBT community in entertainment.

He said, “I started in the business back in the ’50s when LGBT people did not exist on television or in movies. Compare that to what we have today,” pointing out the increased number of TV series and movies based on LGBT people.

Marvel’s Vice President of Animation Development & Partnerships Courtney Lane was on hand to accept the Corporate Vanguard Award on behalf of the company, lauding his peers for “telling real stories about real people, and that includes portrays of LGBT characters.”

He added, “For me, as a gay man who grew up reading these comics, and being really encouraged and inspired by these characters, it’s pretty awesome.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky received the organization’s Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award.

Other notable attendees included: Florence Henderson, Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd (Vanderpump Rules), Elizabeth Henstridge (Agents of SHIELD), Alex Newell (GLEE), Lawrence Pressman (Transparent), Jay Duplass (Transparent), Wilson Cruz (Red Band Society), Shane Bitney Crone (EP and star of Bridegroom), Barrett Foa (NCIS Los Angeles), comedian Bruce Vilanch, DJ Eli Lieb, Wendy Burch (KTLA News Anchor), and Rosa Blasi (The Thundermans).

Check out some of the pics from the event below!