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John Barrowman, Sugar Rush, Sheri Dobrowski, Mail on Sunday
win accolades at Stonewall Awards

Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles voted Bully of the Year

Stonewall last night presented its first annual awards at a star-studded ceremony hosted by Sir Ian McKellen at London's Royal Academy. Sponsored by Barclays, the awards celebrate the positive contributions made by individuals and organisations - both gay and straight - to the lives of gay people in Britain.

The winners were:

Publication of the Year
Pinknews.co.uk, newly-launched gay news website
Politician of the Year
Baroness Ashton, Constitutional Affairs Minister and staunch supporter of rights for gay people
Writer of the Year
Sarah Waters, Booker Prize nominee for her book 'The Night Watch'
Employer of the Year
Staffordshire Police
Bully of the Year
Chris Moyles, Radio 1 DJ who regularly abuses gay people
Journalist of the Year
Jonathan Oliver, Mail on Sunday reporter who broke the news that the Archbishop of Westminster had sacked his press officer for being gay.
Broadcast of the Year
Sugar Rush 2, Channel 4
Stonewall & Barclays Community Group of the Year
The Albert Kennedy Trust, for their work supporting homeless young gay people. Barclays Group Vice Chairman Gary Hoffman presented the Trust with a cheque for £5,000.
Entertainer of the Year
John Barrowman, most recently seen in 'Dr Who', 'Torchwood' and 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?'
Hero of the Year
Sheri Dobrowski, the mother of Jody, who courageously spoke out after her son's killers were sentenced last June.

John Barrowman, voted Entertainer of the Year, said: "Thank you for this honour. It means a great deal to me to be recognised by my community and peers. Congratulations to the other nominees. We are the few who are proud of who we are and not afraid to talk about it. We are proof that you can be honest and have a great career. I hope others can live by this example."

Baroness Ashton, voted Politician of the Year, said: "I'm grateful to Stonewall for their help in difficult times in getting legislation through the House of Lords. This award means more to me than you can imagine".

Sheri Dobrowski, Hero of the Year, said: "Thank you Stonewall for years of fighting for equality and for preparing the way for my children to grow up in a more equal society."

Three awards - for Hero, Bully and Community Group of the Year - were voted for by Stonewall supporters from across Britain. The other award-winners were selected by a judging panel including actor Simon Callow and author Stella Duffy.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said: "We're proud to mark the positive and wide ranging work being done by our award-winners for gay people. We'll always point out those who try, unsuccessfully, to demean us. But we're much keener to highlight the efforts of those making a positive effort to support gay equality".

The 2006 Stonewall Awards were sponsored exclusively by Barclays.

For further information contact: Andy Forrest, Communications Officer, (020 7593 1856 / 07985 439 660) or Alan Wardle, Director of Public Affairs (020 7593 1854 / 07720 718176). Out of hours media enquiries 07985 439 660.

Notes

1. To download high resolution images of the Stonewall Awards for free use, cut and paste the following link into your web browser: ftp://media.stonewall.org.uk and enter the user name 'stonewallmedia' and password 'equality'

2. Stonewall is the gay equality organisation founded in 1989. Founding members include Sir Ian McKellen. www.stonewall.org.uk.