MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – To millions of people, "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts is an inspiration in so many ways, and on Saturday night during a gala at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, her leadership and courage were honored at the National LGBTQ Task Force.
"Being gay and from the South, you just don't think that these moments are going to happen, and the way I have been embraced by our community has meant everything," Roberts said.
It was in 2013, when Roberts first went public about her relationship with her long-time partner Amber Laign, whom she had started dating in 2005.
Roberts had Laign's support while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, after a 2007 diagnosis, and when she was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow failure disorder, which she was diagnosed with in 2012.
Roberts was honored with her former GMA colleague weather anchor Sam Champion, who survived basal cell carcinoma and wed Brazilian artist Rubem Robierb in 2012.
Champion and Roberts were celebrated not just for being gay role models but also for being journalists. Next year the gala will be held in Hawaii.