The organization recognized Rhimes with the Golden Gate Award for increasing the visibility and understanding of the LGBT community, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Her show, Grey’s Anatomy, was also recognized as 2012’s outstanding drama series.
Rhimes has inserted many LGBT characters into her work over the years. Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw play a married lesbian couple on Grey’s Anatomy while Jeff Perry plays the president’s only openly gay chief of staff member on Scandal.
“I’m really moved,” said Rhimes accepting her award from Kerry Washington. “I want to thank everyone who supports the shows by watching them. I’ve tried to be really fearless about making the shows – about showing people of diverse colors and sexual orientations… In telling LGBT stories I’m telling everyone’s story. Love is in fact universal. Why don’t people get that?”
Scandal was recently picked up for a second season. Rhimes, a Black Women in Hollywood honoree and mother of two, has several more shows in the works including Guilded Lillys.