Alec Mapa to Host 2010 GAYVN Awards

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Hollywood actor and comedian Alec Mapa will host the 12th annual GAYVN Awards, scheduled to take place Sept. 24 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

Mapa, who has appeared on TV's Desperate Housewives and played the effervescent Suzuki St. Pierre on Ugly Betty, is a popular and an openly gay Hollywood actor. Ellen Degeneres called him “smart, hilarious and funny.” Variety noted “Alec Mapa is a freak. No one should be this talented.” He has entertained audiences worldwide in almost every medium, beginning with his appearance in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of M. Butterfly through more than 40 television series including Alias, Friends, Roseanne, Seinfeld and NYPD Blue, and numerous feature film roles. His “Wisecrack” stand-up comedy special premiered on LOGO in 2005 and gained a cult following.

He is equally well known for his LGBT activism. Mapa was awarded the prestigious Davidson Valentini GLAAD Award for promoting equal rights for the LGBT community. He has toured the country on behalf of The Human Rights Campaign and The Matthew Shepard Foundation, earning him the unofficial title of “America’s Gaysian Sweetheart.”

He knows how to work a room, as attendees at the 2009 GAYVN Awards can attest: He co-hosted the 11th annual ceremony with comedienne Margaret Cho and supermodel Janice Dickinson.

Presented by NakedSword, the GAYVN Awards this year will be part of the notorious Folsom Street Fair weekend in San Francisco. Other events scheduled for the weekend include a bar crawl through the SoMa district, the massive Magnitude party, NakedSword's "Lockdown" after-party and the fair itself. For a complete schedule of events, visit GAYVNAwards.com.

Industry admission is $100 (email Beth Noonan for details). General admission is $145; VIP admission—which includes priority seating and entrance to the exclusive after-party—is $175. Both general and VIP tickets are available at GAYVNAwards.com.

For sponsorship and advertising information, contact AVN Chief Operating Officer Janet Gibson by email.