Writer, producer and director Greg Berlanti, who has long been instrumental in increasing LGBTQ+ visibility on television, received the Governors Award at Sunday's Emmys ceremony. The award is given to creators who make a “profound, transformative and lasting contribution” to television.
Berlanti was introduced by Matt Bomer, who co-starred with Jonathan Bailey in the gay romantic thriller “Fellow Travelers,” and Joshua Jackson, an alum of the teen drama series “Dawson's Creek,” on which Berlanti served as a writer and later as executive producer.
“I wanted to be a part of television before I even knew it was possible,” Berlanti said in accepting the honor Sunday night. “Now, there was no [sic] There were a lot of gay characters on TV back then, and I was a closeted gay kid, and it's hard to describe how alone I felt at that time.”
But then came the first reports of AIDS, Berlanti said, and he saw openly gay men on television for the first time.
“There were too many people dying, but there were also people in the streets. Men holding hands with other men, marching and fighting for their lives, and they gave me hope that one day I could have their courage to come out and share my truth with the world.”
With the support of his mother, who got Berlanti his first job as a young puppeteer, as well as “teachers, friends, managers and executives over the years,” the veteran gay producer continued to champion LGBTQ stories on countless television shows, including “Brothers & Sisters,” “Arrow” and “Riverdale.”
And, as Jackson recalled, “Dawson's Creek” made history in 2000 by featuring the first on-screen gay kiss between teens in prime time.
Berlanti received a standing ovation upon accepting his award.
