Kathy Najimy's Acceptance speech for LA Shanti's Humanitarian of the Year Award Thank You. Actually am very impressed by that video tape ... Apparently, I've done quite a lot and wonder if we should rethink this into maybe a.... Lifetime achievement award? Whattya say? One of the nicest men on the planet volunteered his time to design and edit that...he is an Emmy winning TV graphic designer and his name is Rick Simone. Well, many things to be grateful for tonight. Just the honor...when they called to tell me I was receiving this award... I was blown away!!...all I could say was...."Finally." And grateful for Melissa Etheridge saying wonderful things. C'mon... we all know that most women and men in this country would die to just kiss her cowboy boots and I actually get to hang out with her. So grateful. Thank you Melissa, not only are you a musical genius, and political pioneer, truly one of the best mothers I know...but you are also a damn good kisser. Grateful to Cyndi Lauper, BETTY, Dave Koz, Cortes and the boys, Anne and Ellen, people from Fox King of the Hill and NBC Veronicas Closet and HBO...of course Sherry Lin and Jeffrey Brown... And I am grateful to all of you for being here to support L.A. Shanti.. You know often people ask what they can do ... how can I help, can I make a difference...and let me tell you, there is nothing better you could be doing tonight than this. Your being here is a contribution and a support to an amazing organization. You are exactly where you need to be right now and for that you should be very proud..A special heigh ho to my friends and family some traveling from New York just for tonight Thank you Frank and Ketchup and Nancy goddess. And to my husband for loving me despite the Melissa kissing thing...we were drunk honey. And Of course I am grateful to L.A. Shanti...not just for the award but for being amongst the minority in this town that actually give a shit about humanity. This is what they do...simply...they help, with no charge and in any way needed ... people who are infected or affected by HIV to live as healthy and as vibrant a lives as possible. This is not any easy task. People often ask me why I work for AIDS causes.....Well, for one I believe the thought that there is No "Other"....everything wonderful in the world and everything difficult is all of ours...if you are sick ... it is also mine ... if I ignore it...it will eventually seep through and affect me ... if I am discriminated against and you turn your head...you will find it waiting for you at your door step. There is no OTHER..It all belongs to all of "US." I also believe in justice and in rights....But AIDS is a matter of life and death and there is no way we can have our rights if we are gone. Here's another reason...Think of how it might feel (and I know this is a reality for many of you here as I speak) how does it feel to discover that you have a possibly life threatening disease...Scary, horrified, lost, painful, and then on top of that.... on top of that.... now imagine that that disease is surrounded by fear, discrimination, resentment, indifference, and hate. Now WE know that AIDS is not a GAY disease, WE know that it affects hundreds of thousand of men, women, and children, gay and straight and for many different reasons. But, the truth is, that the shameless homophobia in this country is what creates the hatred, and fosters the fear and the indifference to AIDS. At the very least it is our responsibility to embrace the Gay and Lesbian Communities, to speak out, to humanize homosexuality to the homophobic, to teach the facts, tolerance and understanding about this disease and to insist that America pay attention to AIDS. I am grateful to L.A. Shanti, for enriching, supporting and saving lives....for taking up so grandly where we have maybe left off....Your volunteer work has put you so close to God that I bet you could all could change this water into wine...Actually could you make mine a bloody Mary...I've never been fond of wine...I get all sweaty. Anywho, my point is that You help people with AIDS and those around them to live with dignity...Now I know that that sounds like a bumper sticker, But lets break it down... You have a day off.....Lets see? What are my choices? Beach? Brunch? Bed Bath and Beyond? Or maybe going to hold the hand of someone dying of a sometimes unattractive disease? How about counseling those whose families have disowned them? Maybe helping to try to feed someone who can't quite open her mouth? Maybe spending your afternoon celebrating someone's rise in T cells or providing companionship to someone who just wants to shoot the shit about last nights episode of Friends. Guess what the people at Shanti pick...oh no I assure you its not the Beverly Center. So, I am grateful for this prize.....but I must share this with the volunteers at L.A. Shanti. You know what people are always saying "I want to share this award with blah blah blah..." But the truth is...that that person always gets to actually take the trophy home with THEM.... Thats bull shit....Shari can you see if there is like a box and maybe a stick or hammer backstage..... If I am really going to share this mother than I am gonna share it. (Kathy puts a fake glass trophy in a box and smashes it to bits with a hammer) The face of AIDS is changing...now we are not only seeing pain and sickness, but faces of health and strength. Things are getting better. People with HIV are living long and fulfilling lives surrounded with love. Things are getting better... But not fast enough. On the way here I realized that I was struck by the familiarity of these events...How Aids benefits have become an accepted part of our lives....counted on, taken for granted...written in pen on our calendars. We need to not accept...we need to be shocked and angry every time we hear of another passing. We need to march and volunteer and scream. We need to donate and legislate. I thank you in advance for not letting Aids become a casual guest at our table. And lets do this lets gather here next year, but lets gather under different circumstances ... this time to really celebrate. I am very grateful. Thank you.