Polari Nonprofit Organization Community Partner Announcement:

Filmmaker Kevin Smith will be attending the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Austin Gala Dinner on February 9, 2013 and receiving the HRC Equality Award. The annual dinner raises money for HRC’s national advocacy work to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Founded in 1980, HRC advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.

Kevin Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy Clerks 1994), in which he appeared as the character Silent Bob. Smith also directed and produced films such as the action comedy Cop Out as well as the horror film Red State, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jersey Girl.

Smith is receiving the HRC Equality Award for his long-standing and out spoken support of LGBT civil rights and marriage equality. Smith has stirred controversy throughout his career and his support of gay rights is no different. As the Advocate wrote in September of 2011: “Smith’s longtime pro-gay, sex-positive stance hasn’t earned him the highest honors among mainstream gays…..With the exception of the bear enclave, many gay men don’t seem to know what to make of Smith, with his cuddly looks and blunt manner.” Referring to Smith’s brother Donald who is gay the same article states: “Smith says he began making movies because he hadn’t seen himself and his friends up there yet, and he wanted the same for his brother. So at the beginning of his career he determined that any movie he makes will have some gay element for Donald. “I love him to death,” Smith says, sitting in his tour bus last fall on the Los Angeles set of Red State. “The idea of him sitting through any flick of mine and not having something that spoke directly to him just kind of hurt my feelings, it hurt my heart a little bit. So I was like, I’m going to put something in there all the time for him.”

Smith has a long-standing affection for and association with Austin, Texas since he credits Richard Linklater’s film Slacker for inspiring him to want to be a filmmaker and believing he could be.

Special thanks to HRC for being a supporting community partner of the Polari Nonprofit Organization!

To learn more about the HRC Gala and buy tickets for this special night please visit: hrcaustin.org