all photos courtesy Getty Images

The 19th annual GLAAD media awards were held in Hollywood on Saturday, and the the event was impressively heavy on star power. Kathy Griffin opened the show — during her act she invited her mother onstage to quiz her about her knowledge of the LGBT community.

The biggest award of the evening, the Vanguard Award, was presented by Ellen DeGeneres and was given to Janet Jackson. Said Jackson in her acceptance speech, "To everyone at GLAAD and everyone in this room, I would just like to say that I hope I can always walk worthy of this award that I have both in my hand and my heart."

Also honored was Rufus Wainwright. He accepted the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community. Said Wainwright, "I'd like to thank GLAAD so much for allowing the world to see us as we are – as human beings – and to fight for us when we are being defamed and maligned," Wainwright said accepting his award. "And also to allow gay people, who think that everything's fine, to actually realize that it's not, and that there is a lot of work to do."

The remaining award winners (including honored television series) as well as red carpet photos after the break!

In the wake of the tragic murder of Lawrence King, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and LOGO (AfterELton.com's parent company) have enlisted the support of a number of celebrities to film a PSA urging people to "stop the hate" and ensure the safety of ALL students in our schools.

Participating in the public service announcement are T.R. Knight, Portia de Rossi, Janet Jackson and many others. Let's hope the loss of Lawrence leads to the prevention of this happening again.