GLAAD Media Awards 2012: ‘Glee’ Hosts, Dakota Fanning And More Step Out For LGBT Community [PHOTOS]

The 2012 GLAAD Media Awards kicked off in New York City on Sunday night with Glee stars Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith hosting the gala event, the first of three celebrating the LGBT community and its supporters.

Actress Dakota Fanning, reality star La La Anthony, Wendy Williams, Padma Lakshmi and more stepped out to the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York to offer their support to the LGBT community and all the media endeavors surrounding the movement throughout the year.

GLAAD's Acting President Mike Thompson discussed the GLAAD Media Awards in a blog for HuffPost Gay Voices: The events, which help fund GLAAD's storytelling and media advocacy work, not only celebrate and recognize the best of the best in LGBT-inclusive journalism, film, music, television, and more; they also serve as a benchmark for the media industry, helping to improve representation and inspire more thoughtful depictions of the LGBT community throughout the year.

The awards are designed to honor fair, accurate and inclusive representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, reported The Associated Press.

Awards handed out at the first event for the 2012 GLAAD Media Awards included: Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage to The Advocate/Out; Outstanding Music Artist to Lady Gaga for Born This Way; Outstanding TV Journalism Segment to Battle Against Bullying ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (ABC); and Outstanding Talk Show Episode to The Oprah Winfrey Show for the episode Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests. Click here for a full list of the winners.

Two other events for the 2012 GLAAD Media Awards will be held in Los Angeles on April 21 at the Westin Bonaventure and in San Francisco on June 2 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.