Gay Men's Health Crisis Honors THE NORMAL HEART's Larry Kramer with Lifetime Achievement Award Tonight

Volunteer AIDS organization Gay Men's Health Crisis honors THE NORMAL HEART playwright Larry Kamer at its annual spring gala tonight, March 23rd. Kramer will be the first recipient of the organization's special lifetime achievement award, to be called The Larry Kramer Activism Award.

Roberta A. Kaplan, co-chair of the organization's board explained that in subsequent years the award will be given in recognition of advocates who reflects Kramer's "spirit, PASSION and fearlessness."

The new award will become a permanent recognition of Kramer's contributions to the organization, as well as an attempt "to bring a sense of closure and healing" between Mr. Kramer and the group, Ms. Kaplan shared. The struggle between the two was depicted in the Tony-award winning play THE NORMAL HEART which was recently adapted for TV by HBO. "There would be no G.M.H.C. without Larry Kramer," commented Ms. Kaplan.

The Gay Men's Health Crisis gala will be held at Cipriani 42nd Street.

The Emmy-winning HBO Films presentation of THE NORMAL HEART premiered in May 2014 on HBO and starred Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Parsons and Roberts. The drama also stars Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello, Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Stephen Spinella, Corey Stoll, Finn Wittrock, and BD Wong.

Directed by Murphy and written by Kramer, THE NORMAL HEART tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS Crisisin New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.

Kramer's play debuted at New York's Public Theatre in 1985 and was revived in Los Angeles and London, and off-Broadway. The 2011 Broadway revival garnered five Tony nominations, winning for Best Revival, Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress.