Mark Ruffalo, Brittney and Cherelle Griner to Be Honored by ACLU SoCal (EXCLUSIVE)

Mark Ruffalo and Brittney and Cherelle Griner will be honored by ACLU SoCal at this year’s Bill of Rights Awards.

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“While we work to defend our freedoms this election season, know that the ACLU – over a hundred years strong – will be ready whatever the outcome,” ACLU SoCal chief communications and marketing officer Marcus Benigno said Friday morning. “This year’s Bill of Rights Awards recipients reflect the persistence and zeal of our enduring mission. We are proud to celebrate them.”

Ruffalo will be recognized for his creative work and environmental activism. The “Avengers” star has been a longtime advocate for justice across various issues, including climate change, LGBTQ rights and racial equality. An Emmy winner and four-time Oscar nominee, Ruffalo has acted in and produced many projects which bring attention to the fight for indigenous rights, environmental concerns and the communities most affected by the climate crisis.

In a 2020 cover story for Variety , Ruffalo explained that his political activism began during the 1990 Gulf War. “It was just the injustice of it and the enormous lie that was foisted on us,” he said.

Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion. She is an anti-bullying and gender pay equity advocate. Griner was hurled onto the world stage in 2022 when she was imprisoned for 10 months in Russia after being detained at a Russian airport on her way back to Moscow to play in Russia’s Premier League for having vape cartridges containing small amounts of cannabis oil in her luggage. Her wife Cherelle, an attorney, advocated for Brittney’s release, meeting with President Joe Biden and other elected officials.

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Griner recalled being incarcerated during an NPR interview in May. “When I first [went] into the county cell, and I was in isolation, just the bad thoughts just started creeping in: My life is over,” she said. “Who will be alive when I come out? Will my parents still be there? Will me and my wife make it nine years while locked up? All these bad thoughts started coming in, and it just felt like it would be better if I wasn’t here, maybe.”

The ACLU Foundation of Southern California’s annual Bills of Rights Awards will be held Nov. 10 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The evening’s presenters and performers will be announced closer to the gala.

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