September 18, 2007 -- Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) will honor Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, one of American’s leading dramatists, at its 8th annual Spirit of Justice Award Dinner.  The eventtakes place on Friday, September 28, 2007 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel.

“Terrence McNally is one of the nation’s most heralded out gay writers,” said GLAD Executive Director Lee Swislow.  “Throughout his career, he has courageously and consistently included LGBT characters in his work. His plays have drawn attention to the AIDS epidemic and marriage equality. We are thrilled to honor him and his support for equal justice under law.”

Said Terrence McNally, “In [his 1997 play] Corpus Christi, the lead character Joshua performs a marriage between two men. Homophobic zealots tried to shut the play down but the message of love and commitment won the day, just as GLAD is winning the day for marriage equality.  I am deeply grateful that GLAD is turning this theatrical imagining into a legal reality.”

McNally’s career has spanned more than four decades and his work has encompassed theater, film, television, musical theater, and opera.  He has garnered critical and popular praise for his writing, including four Tony Awards.

Previous winners of the Spirit of Justice Award include activist Mandy Carter; Unitarian Universalist President William Sinkford; playwright Tony Kushner; GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary Bonauto; Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe; and Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, founders of Daughters of Bilitis.  

Event Details
What: Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders’ Spirit of Justice Award Dinner
When: Friday, September 28, 2007
Reception at 6:30 pm; Dinner at 7:30 pm; Dancing at 9:30 pm
Where: The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel
425 Summer Street, Boston
Tickets: $150, available at www.glad.org/events.
For more information: Robbie Samuels, (617) 426-1350