Mark Ruffalo, Harper Steele, Brittney Griner and Viet Thanh Nguyen Honored at ACLU SoCal Bill of Rights Awards

The ACLU of Southern California’s annual Bill of Rights Awards on Sunday night honored Mark Ruffalo, “Will & Harper” stars Harper Steele and Will Ferrell, “The Sympathizer” author Viet Thanh Nguyen and sports legend Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle Griner.

Taking place just days after the election, the evening took on a somber tone with presenters and honorees emphasizing how crucial the ACLU was and will be in legal battles protecting civil rights and fighting for social justice during a Trump administration. In an eerie coincidence, an SUV adorned with Trump flags and passengers shouting “we won” drove by the Beverly Hilton hotel on Wilshire Boulevard as guests arrived for the gala.

Griner, who spent 10 months in a Russian work camp before her release was secured by a prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden administration in 2022, praised the civil rights organization. “My wife and I have a lot of common with the ACLU,” Brittney said after being introduced by Kerry Washington. “We commit to people are on the margins with curiosity. We do it with love. We share values with ACLU. Above all, patriotism in its truest form, the belief in an America that we yet to see, but continue to dare to build and fight for.”

Nguyen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizer,” talked to Variety on the red carpet about the impact of a second Trump presidency may have on artists. “I’m sure there is a chilling effect, and it’s going be hard to say what that chilling effect is, because when people don’t speak, how do we know what is actually going on?” said Nguyen, whose award was presented by Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan. “But I think there has been a good incitement for writers and other artists to speak out going on for quite a while, with the current stresses, obviously, since Oct. 7. Shortly before the election, we did have more than 7,000 writers sign on to a petition to boycott Israel, for example. I think there’s a movement of solidarity globally among writers and artists, so I think there will be many who will feel compelled to speak out.”

MORE: Harper Steele Doesn’t ‘Give a F—‘ About Politicians and Pundits Blaming Kamala Harris Loss on Democrats’ Support of Transgender Rights: ‘We’re Not Here to Be the Sacrifice’

Steele, whose friendship with Ferrell and her gender transition was chronicled in the Netflix road trip documentary “Will & Harper,” said the election has shaken her confidence as a trans woman. “That scary alienating feeling that I worked so hard to overcome was creeping back in,” she said. “But this is so not about me. This scary feeling is back for so many across this country without the benefit of our privilege and they have real reason to be afraid. Their health are is under attack, their families, their doctors, their support systems, their schools, their very identity is under attack and the attackers have just been emboldened.”

Ruffalo, who received his award from his MCU and “Infinitely Polar Bear” co-star Zoe Saldaña, urged financial donations to the ACLU: “Now’s the time to redouble our efforts and our commitment to this ugly fight that looms on our horizon.”

See more photos from the ACLU SoCal Bill of Rights Awards below.