Allred, Jayne to Receive LGBT Ally Awards Thursday Night in L.A.

Sponsored by SAG-AFTRA and now in its third year, LGBTs in ihe News comes back to the Los Angeles Press Club tonight at 7 for another of the series' panel discussions -- and to present its first-ever "Elgy" Award for Lifetime Achievement in Equality Advocacy to attorney Gloria Allred.

Never reluctant to represent victims of abuse and discrimination in high-profile cases, Allred has become legendary for her work as a civil rights attorney and advocate for equality.

The Los Angeles-based attorney has handled discrimination cases for LGBT and HIV-positive clients since the 1980s. In 2008 she and other attorneys won the right for same-sex couples to legally marry for the first time ever in California. Members of her law firm gave the winning argument to the California Supreme Court that saved the marriages of the thousands of couples who were married before Proposition 8 temporarily banned marriage rights for same-sex couples across the state.

Her firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg LLP, handles more women's rights cases than any other private firm in the nation and has won hundreds of millions of dollars for victims. Allred is also a three-time Emmy nominee for her commentaries on KABC television in Los Angeles. Her nationally syndicated television show, We the People, With Gloria Allred, was also nominated in 2012 for a Daytime Emmy Award.

Allred will headline the LGBTs in the News panel discussion about the importance of the role of allies in the fight for LGBT equality in the U.S. and abroad. She will be joined by top-selling dance-music star Erika Jayne in addition to several leading journalists and activists.

Jayne, the featured panelist, will also be named LGBTs in the News Ally Entertainer of 2015 in recognition of her ongoing support for the rights and equality of LGBT people around the world.

"I'm so honored to be named ally entertainer of 2015 at this year's LGBTs in ihe News event in Hollywood," said Jayne. "There are so many incredible people leading the fight for equality, and I'm just grateful to be able to contribute. After all, these aren't just 'gay issues,' they're humanity issues, and it's important that we all step up however we can."

The other panelists, all leaders in their respective fields, are SAG-AFTRA LGBT Actors Committee cochair Jason Stuart, Huffington Post editor Noah Michelson, Rage Monthly editor Joel Martens, GLAAD senior media strategist Tiq Milan, and transgender activist Blue Montana, who will star in an upcoming documentary film about transitioning.

Members of the media and the public are invited to attend this free event. For more information and to RSVP, visit LAPressClub.org.