Beloved as David Rose on screen, Dan Levy is being honored off-screen with the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 HRC Visibility Award.

“Through his advocacy, his creative leadership, and his hilarious, authentic portrayal as David Rose on Schitt’s Creek, Dan Levy is moving LGBTQ visibility forward by inspiring us to embrace all of who we are,” HRC president Alphonso David told Entertainment Weekly. “By creating and inhabiting the world of Schitt’s Creek as a community where people are welcomed no matter who they are or whom they love, Levy is helping take all of us closer to that reality."

Levy, a Canadian actor, plays a pansexual character in Schitt's Creek, a show he co-created with his father, Eugene Levy. The show began airing its sixth and final season on Jan. 7 on CBC Television.

“I have been a longtime admirer and supporter of the HRC,” Levy said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “To be recognized by this organization means the world to me and I am incredibly touched by the honor.”

The show has taken off in America since airing on cable network Pop and appearing on Netflix.

“I think in certain parts of America, David’s sexual ambiguity was a big question mark. [But] it was issues like that that I find quite exciting,” Levy told the Toronto Star. “I’d rather create something that gives people a very strong reaction than create a show that someone looks at and says, ‘Hmm. Fine.’”

The announcement comes a few days after Janelle Monáe was announced as the 2020 winner of the HRC Equality Award.

“A highly celebrated and influential artist, Janelle Monáe is an icon who has used her global platform to share a message of celebrating authenticity and embracing all of who we are,” said David in a release. “Through her activism on initiatives that work to inspire civic engagement and advance gender justice, Janelle has been a guiding force for positive change.”

Monáe, who is pansexual, came out as nonbinary at the beginning of 2020. Known for her genre-bending music and gender-bending fashion, she donated her grammy-nominated 2018 album "Dirty Computer" to young LGBTQ people.

“I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracized or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you,” Monáe told Rolling Stone.

Both Levy and Monáe will be presented with their awards at the first 2020 HRC Los Angeles Dinner on March 28.



