John Waters, Rita Mae Brown Honored At 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards
At last night's 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards — otherwise known as the "Lammys" — filmmaker John Waters and feminist writer Rita Mae Brown were awarded special prizes for their contributions to LGBT literature.
The one and only Gloria Steinem introduced Brown, who received the Pioneer Award for her classic Rubyfruit Jungle, and said of her killer sense of humor that laughter is "an orgasm of the mind." Taking to the podium, Brown acknowledged Steinem as well: she is "our North Star. If you can find her, you'll never be lost."
Next up, Waters received Lambda's Trustee Award for Excellence in Literature from gossip columnist Liz Smith, who compared the filmmaker to Andy Warhol with one exception: "John is truly sweet. Andy only appeared that way."
Waters, always a jokester, described the Lammys as "the Imperial margarine of queer royalty," and also sweetly dedicated his prize to the Provincetown Bookstore, where he worked a summer in his youth.
Throughout the night, the toast of the LGBT community honored the best and brightest in literature: Janet Mock and Michelangelo Signorile presented an award together, as did Justin Vivian Bond and Alan Cumming.
In all, awards in 25 categories were handed out.
"Throughout tonight's ceremony we were reminded of the impact that LGBT literature has on people's lives," said Tony Valenzuela, Lambda Literary Foundation Executive Director. "Congratulations to all the winners and honorees."
Check out the full list of winners from the 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards below:
LESBIAN FICTION
GAY FICTION
BISEXUAL FICTION
TRANSGENDER FICTION
LGBT DEBUT FICTION
LGBT NONFICTION
BISEXUAL NONFICTION
TRANSGENDER NONFICTION
LESBIAN POETRY
GAY POETRY
LESBIAN MYSTERY
GAY MYSTERY
LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY - 2 WINNERS:
GAY MEMOIR:
GAY BIOGRAPHY:
LESBIAN ROMANCE
GAY ROMANCE
LESBIAN EROTICA
GAY EROTICA
LGBT ANTHOLOGY
LGBT CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT
LGBT DRAMA
LGBT GRAPHIC NOVELS
LGBT SF/F/HORROR
LGBT STUDIES
Photos: Brian Sargent