Murphy, Huffington et al. Honored with 2010 Hetrick-Martin Emery Awards, 11/9

The Hetrick-Martin Institute celebrates the 2010 Emery Awards on Tuesday, November 9, by reflecting on its 31-year history and looking forward to the next generation of leadership and creative minds to empower the LGBTQ youth of today and change public understanding and acceptance of the community to ensure the safety of our youth.

This year, The Hetrick-Martin Institute presents Emery Awards to the creator and Emmy Award winning producer of Glee Ryan Murphy for what is widely recognized as one of the most sensitive and powerful portrayals of a gay youth on television. The role of Kurt Hummel on the hit show portrays a young person striving to be true to himself and a circle of friends that support him in that journey.

The second Emery Award is being given to Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post for her long-term dedication to equal rights for all people and her continued support of LGBTQ community.

The final award is being presented to Marc Ecko for his ongoing support of the Institute focusing on the development of job skills that empower the youth of HMI. In addition, Marc has connected to the young people through his hands-on work at the Institute and his sponsorship of its art programs.

These awards, given annually for the past 24 years, honor individuals and corporations that exemplify The Hetrick-Martin Institute's mission of providing a safe and supportive environment for all young people - regardless of their sexual orientation or identity - as well as those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within our community.

Wendy Williams, host of the syndicated The Wendy Williams Show, hosts this year's gala. Bethenny Frankel, star of Bethenny Getting Married?, will be the auctioneer for the event.

Also in attendance will be HMI Ambassadors Andy Bell, Cheyenne Jackson, Robert Verdi and B.D. Wong. Additional special guests will be announced.

"After the wonderful celebration of our 30-year history last year, we thought it only fitting this year to look to the future for LGBTQ youth in America " says Rob Smith, Emery Awards chair and executive vice president at Macy's, Inc. "Marc Ecko, Arianna Huffington and Ryan Murphy are three people that are changing the future for our youth: Marc through the empowerment he is providing in schools throughout the nation, Arianna by creating an influential platform for free speech, and Ryan by transforming the cultural landscape that these young people are graduating into."

The gala at Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall Street, begins with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m., with the program and dinner at 7:00 p.m., followed by an after party organized by The Hetrick-Martin Institute's Young Professionals Council, chaired by Andrew Wingrove and Brayden McCarthy. There will also be a live auction to benefit The Hetrick-Martin Institute and its various initiatives.

Marc Ecko is the presenting sponsor for this year's Emery Awards. Additional support is provided by Macy's with support from Polo Ralph Lauren as Contributing Sponsor.

For information about purchasing tickets or tables to the Gala benefit, please call Cory Crayn at 212-674-2600, ext. 234, or email ccrayn@hmi.org. For more information, visit www.hmi.org.

The Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, believes all young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential. Founded in 1979, The Hetrick-Martin Institute creates this environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth between the ages of 12 and 24 and their families. Through a comprehensive package of direct services and referrals, Hetrick-Martin seeks to foster healthy youth development. Hetrick-Martin's staff promotes excellence in the delivery of youth services and uses its expertise to create innovative programs that other organizations may use as models. For more information visit hmi.org, follow along on http://twitter.com/HetrickMartin or become a fan on Facebook.