Tony Nominee Martha Plimpton Will Be Feted at PFLAG's 2017 Straight for Equality Awards Gala

PFLAG National - the nation's largest organization uniting families, allies, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) - today announced it will honor Tony-nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress Martha Plimpton with the Straight for Equality in Entertainment award at the Ninth Annual Straight for Equality Awards Gala on Monday, March 27, 2017 at the Marriott Marquis New York in Times Square.

"As Eileen on The Real O'Neals, we have watched Martha take the journey that thousands of PFLAG parents have taken, and she does it so authentically," said Elizabeth Kohm, Interim Executive Director of PFLAG National. "Martha is, and continues to be, a strong, dedicated, and vocal advocate for LGBTQ equality, for women's rights, and for civil rights in support of marginalized communities. We are thrilled to be able to honor her this year."

Straight for Equality - a national outreach and education project created by PFLAG National - invites, educates, and engages the next generation of allies joining together with LGBTQ people in the effort to achieve equality for all. Straight for Equality awards are presented to individuals who are transforming the way that LGBTQ people are understood and treated, using their talents and platforms in their respective fields to empower others to become engaged and outspoken allies for fairness, diversity, and inclusion. This year's gala will be emceed by comedian and writer Fortune Feimster. The evening will also feature a performance from the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots.

Plimpton is an accomplished actress who has achieved success across stage, screen and television. Currently starring in ABC's The Real O'Neals, she was previously nominated for an Emmy Award for her role on the series Raising Hope, and won the Emmy for her role on The Good Wife. On stage, Plimpton's work has garnered three-consecutive Tony Award nominations: For Pal Joey, where she starred alongside Stockard Channing ; Top Girls at the Manhattan Theatre Club; and Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia, for which she also earned Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Plimpton is a founding board member of A is for, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing women's reproductive rights and ending the stigma against abortion care.

"It means the world to me that I've been able to contribute some small part to helping parents understand and accept their LGBTQ kids through the role I play on The Real O'Neals," said Plimpton. "Being raised with and by people from all walks, of every stripe, makes me certain that the world is a richer and more joyful place, and life is more beautiful, when love comes first."

PFLAG National previously announced honorees Ana Navarro (Straight for Equality in Media) and Alcoa (Straight for Equality in the Workplace). The Ninth Annual Straight for Equality Awards Gala will be held on Monday, March 27, 2017 in New York City at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel. For information on how to sponsor the #S4EGala2017 or to purchase tickets or a table, visit pflag.org/2017Gala or call (202) 467-8180 x218.

PFLAG is the nation's largest organization uniting families, allies, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy, and has more than 400 chapters and 200,000 supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. To learn more, visit pflag.org, like us on Facebook (/pflag), or follow us on Twitter (@pflag).