"I
feel like a gay Barbie," she joked, spinning around in a pink Dolce
& Gabbana dress. "I'm also wearing uncomfortable shoes, so I'm
trying to be a hit. Tonight I have to be Sasha Fierce's sister Kathy
Fierce."

Griffin
was one of many celebrities who were being honored or who were out
celebrating at the 20th GLAAD Media Awards in downtown Los Angeles.

"I've
been coming to the GLAAD awards for a long time and it feels thrilling
to get a fancy award. But you know it's great to see the work GLAAD
does," she added. "I always learn a lot at these things. I'm here to
learn as well as be adored. And I'm already having a gay old time."
Griffin took home the Vanguard Award for her support of the lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgendered community.

There
was plenty of funny chatter and light play at the award festivities —
"let us get married, so we don't have to keep marrying y'all," one
person yelled out to cheers — and it also was the place where
entertainment and politics intersected.

"A
lot of the messages that really affect the world and change people's
minds come from Hollywood. Tonight, we're coming together and maybe we
can change people's minds about the way gay people are treated," said
Alan Cumming. "This is like the Oscars for gayness."

Jennifer Beals, who recently wrapped her series, The L Word,
sparkled in a yellow David Meister dress, and said that the most
important thing she learned about starring in a show about lesbian
women is that homophobia is a form of misogyny.

"I
think that it's incredibly important to bring as much visibility to
these stories as we can," she said. "The truth is the way in which
we're similar is much more numerous than the way in which we're
different. For me it's been an incredible education and I've been
exposed to so many women's issues. The fans of our show are diverse and
it tells me that women understand that it's not just about being gay.
This also is about being a woman and the ways that gay women are
repressed is very similar to the way that women are repressed in
general. "

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who wore an orange mod-looking Michael Kors dress — she said she had to keep mum on the much-talked about Seinfeld reunion on Curb Your Enthusiasm,
but did offer that they're still taping and that it felt like old times
— was nominated alongside co-star Wanda Sykes for an episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine.
Sykes, who wasn't at the award show, publicly came out after
Proposition 8 passed in California last year, banning same-sex
marriages.

"This
year, our whole season, Wanda Sykes — who played Barbara on our show —
and I were married. It was extraordinary. It was fortuitous. And it was
quite a coincidence that the year unfolded the way it did,"
Louis-Dreyfus said. "I'm not going to say it was good luck. Because it
wasn't. I don't believe in Proposition 8, but it was certainly timely."

And
as for her colleague's public coming out, Louis-Dreyfus said she
couldn't be more thrilled. She'll be joining Sykes next month in
Washington at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where Sykes will
perform.

"I'm
really happy for Wanda and I admire her leadership. We all knew she was
gay, but she's a very private person. And I'm so happy for her," she
said.

Teri Hatcher, dressed in Marchesa, came out to support Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry.

"Our
show spends a lot of energy creating great gay characters. I personally
have been involved in a lot of those storylines and have had a
wonderful time doing it. It's great to be a part of something that
continues to promote gay characters in a positive light that is
emotional and funny and really crosses that whole board," she said.

And can she give any clues as to how this season will end?

"I
think it's going to be a very exciting few episodes leading to the
finale. Some of the characters will help to bring us to a maniacal
end," she said.

George
Takei, who walked hand and hand with his longtime partner, Brad Altman,
said that no tears should be shed for any setbacks the gay community
has had in the last year.

"At
the same time that we were devastated at Prop 8, an African American
became president of the United States. So there are going to be
setbacks for the GLBT campaign to get equality but we know that we will
ultimately prevail," he said. "It wasn't a short and easy task for
African Americans to get civil rights. I think it's going to be shorter
for us. That will get us nowhere. You've got to be optimistic."