“Slowly but surely I realized by writing this TV show, and distributing this TV show to the world, it would actually make the world safer for somebody that I love,” “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway explained as they accepted the point impact award at the annual Point Honors LA Gala, held Saturday. According to Variety, Soloway’s honor recognizes those who have contributed to and improved the lives of the LGBTQ community. Also honored at the event was comedian-actress-producer-writer Wanda Sykes, who took home the point legend award, “given to an individual who has achieved prominence in their career and who has faithfully backed the LGBTQ community,” the source writes.
Soloway emphasized that after “Transparent” premiered on Amazon back in 2014, the team behind the show received “a giant cascade of love and support from the LGBTQ community and especially the trans community.” Inspired by Soloway’s own family, the series kicked off with Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) coming out as transgender to her ex-wife and children. The recently released fourth season of the critically acclaimed drama sees Maura’s daughter Ali (Gaby Hoffmann) exploring her relationship to the gender binary.
Sykes came out as gay in her 40s, and joked about the benefits of waiting until a period of her life when her parents couldn’t kick her out of the house for being gay. “I can afford to be gay,” she said, whereas others “get kicked out of their homes, and that’s why I support organizations doing the work that [the Point Foundation] is doing, so I appreciate that,” she acknowledged.
“Afternoon Delight” writer-director Soloway is also an exec producer on Amazon’s “I Love Dick,” a comedy about a wife and husband who become infatuated with a male professor. The fate of the series is unknown — the streamer hasn’t confirmed a second season yet. She’s also an exec producer on Angela Robinson’s “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women,” an unconventional love story about the trio behind the creation of “Wonder Woman” that’s hitting theaters this Friday, October 13.
“Black-ish,” “Snatched,” and “Bad Moms” are among Sykes’ recent credits.
