For The Better, For Good: The GMCLA 6th Annual Voice Awards

By Efren Cornejo on May 30, 2017

6th Annual Voice Awards host Daniel Franzese Performs with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Photo Credit: GMCLA

Because if you don’t love yourself, how in the hell
you gonna love somebody else. Can I get an Amen?!
– Michelle Visage quoting BFF RuPaul

REASON The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles presented the 6th Annual Voice Awards. The star-studded Voice Awards gala took place on Saturday, May 20, 2017, at the J.W. Marriot at L.A. Live in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

REVELERS Lisa Vanderpump, Lance Bass, Michael Turchin (actor), Amin El Gamal (Prison Break), Daniel Franzese, Alexandra Grey (Transparent), Zeke Smith (Survivor), Hayden Byerly (The Fosters), Kalama Epstein (The Fosters), Michelle Visage (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Craig Ramsay (2 Broke Girls, The Newly Weds), Lawrence Zarian, Gregory Zarian (actor, model), Rain Valdez (Lopez), Michelle Clunie (Queer as Folk), Stephen Guarino (Dr. Ken, I’m Dying Up Here), Jeff Zarrillo & Paul Katami (Plaintiffs in California’s Prop 8 case), the legendary Stephen Schwartz and Gwen Baba (HRC board member, Community Voice Award honoree).

RECAP The event has become a precursor to the festivities and celebrations of LGBT Pride Month in June, with proceeds from the Voice Awards benefit the organization’s programmatic work, including the Alive Music Project and the it gets better tour. This year’s honorees included Logo TV, lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz and Human Rights Campaign board member and community activist Gwen Baba. The show kicked off with a musical number featuring host Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking) with members of GMCLA. Visage, Vanderpump and Bass were just some of the LGBT champions who served as presenters. In a tribute to Schwartz, members of the Gay Men’s Chorus performed a rendition of “For Good” from Wicked.

For more information, visit GMCLA.org.