Hilary Swank pays tribute to Boys Don't Cry character at Outfest Legacy Awards

Actress Hilary Swank paid tribute to her real-life Boys Don't Cry character while accepting the Trailblazer Award at the Outfest Legacy Awards on Wednesday (12Nov14).

The Million Dollar Baby star was feted with the inaugural prize at the star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles, 15 years after Boys Don't Cry was released.

Swank, who won the first of her two Oscars for her portrayal of transgender Brandon Teena in the drama, attributed her prize to the real-life inspiration behind the groundbreaking film.

She told the crowd, "My closing message remains the same as that of my Academy Award speech. Let Brandon Teena's legacy remind us to always be ourselves, to follow our hearts, to not conform. And let us continue telling stories like this so that one day we’ll not only accept our differences, but actually celebrate our diversity."

Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin was also honored with the Visionary Award on the 20th anniversary of the launch of his controversial mini-series about love and sex in San Francisco.

Orange is the New Black star Natasha Lyonne hosted the event, which supports of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, the largest archive of LGBT moving images in the world.

Meanwhile, across town, actors Portia de Rossi, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Glee creator Ryan Murphy attended a similar event celebrating the legacy of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) characters on screen at the Paley Center's annual L.A. gala.