At a special L.A. LGBT Youth Scholarship Awards ceremony on Wednesday night, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s LifeWorks program distributed scholarships totaling $42,000 to 24 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) youth. Hosted by stalwart Center supporter Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives), the awards ceremony took place at the Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood.
“LGBT youth encounter so much homophobia and hatred. I want them to know that it’s OK to be who you are, to be out and fabulous,” says Mapa, who has appeared on stage at the Center’s Renberg Theatre several times and recently performed an encore of his hit one-man show Baby Daddy. “That’s why I’m so proud to support the Center—it does so much to help young LGBT people thrive. Like these scholarships; without this money, a lot of these young people wouldn’t be able to pursue their dreams of going to college.”
