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Naya Rivera co-hosts 23rd GLAAD Media Awards in NYC

On Saturday, hundreds of sequined and suited attendees crowded into the ballroom of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square for the 23rd Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards, which honors the best representations of the gay and lesbian community in the media. Glee stars Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith hosted the gala.

Among the LGBT honorees and allies who joined Rivera and Monteith on the red carpet were Dakota Fanning, Wendy Williams, Isis, Jay Manuel, Ted Allen, Tracey Gold, Padma Lakshmi, Bernadette Peters, Russell Simmons, Vinnie Guadagnino, Cheyenne Jackson, Carson Kressley, DJ Whitney Day, Kim Wayans, Megan Hilty and Johnny Weir. Iowa student Zach Wahls, whose testimony in front of his state congress about growing up with two moms went viral on YouTube, also walked the red carpet, as did 17-year-old anti-bullying advocate Katy Butler.

Pariah stars Adepero Oduye and Kim Wayans and producer Nekisa Cooper accepted the award for Outstanding Film – Limited Release. Carson Kressley accepted the award on behalf of Dancing With the Stars for Outstanding Reality Program. Kressley and Chaz Bono were contestants on the show, and Kressley dedicated the award to Bono. While winners Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin were not in attendance, they tweeted their acceptance speeches after the show. A full list of winners can be found here, including AfterEllen.com vlogger Dana Rudolph‘s blog Mombian, which won the award for Outstanding Blog, along with Towleroad.

The most talked about moment of the awards show was the kiss off involving Naya Rivera, Cory Monteith and John Stamos. It started off tame. First, Naya Rivera auctioned off her “sweet lady kisses” to the highest bidder. She then challenged co-star Cory Monteith to see whose smooches would bring in the higher bid. As Rivera pulled ahead, John Stamos jumped into the fray and bid $3,750 to kiss Monteith, and the audience roared its approval. Stamos then decided to auction off his own kisses, and the race was on. The bidding ended at $5,000 apiece, with Rivera kissing a male fan, Stamos planting one on a burly man named Valentino and Monteith kissing Smash star Megan Hilty in a television musical mash up. Watch the video here.

Other highlights of the show included Zach Wahls’ eloquent speech about his experiences after his Iowa House of Representatives testimony became the most watched political video on YouTube. Wahls’ rousing speech brought the audience to its feet. Tracey Gold took the stage and addressed her former Growing Pains co-star Kirk Cameron‘s recent anti-gay remarks. “I want my voice of love and support to be louder,” she said. Harvey Weinstein presented a Special Recognition award to openly gay high school student Katy Butler, who was bullied when she came out as a lesbian in middle school. A glittery performance by the legendary Rockettes closed the night.

Photos from the red carpet, the awards show and the after party are below.

All photos © 2012 Grace Chu.

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