Lisa Vanderpump Named 'Woman of the Year'

Lisa Vanderpump has held many distinctions over the years. See her turns as the Mardi Gras Monarch and the Queen of West Hollywood's annual Carnaval event, for just some proof. And now she is Woman of the Year. At least according to the California State Assembly.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star will receive the honor for her work as a entrepreneur running successful several restaurants in L.A., as well as for her activism in the gay and lesbian community. She is slated to go to the State Capitol and receive the honor from Assemblyman Richard Bloom, according to Rumor Fix.

Proving that the honor is well-deserved, Lisa was recently at an event for the Trevor Project, a non-profit organization that aims to prevent suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth.

The honor comes hot off the heels of her appearance at the UN earlier this month where she spoke about Ebola at United Nation's "Stop Ebola and Build For the Future" relief concert. She was on hand to speak at the event alongside a number of other celebrities and dignitaries where in attendance including former RHONY star Kelly Bensimon, Jackie Chan, Jeffrey Wright, Derek Jeter, Naomi Campbell, Timbaland, Nick Cannon, Estelle, Cheryl Wills, Salt and Peppa and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"Distinguished and honored guests, do not let your legacy be one of silence," she said in her moving speech about the epidemic. "That we can still learn by our mistakes. [That] mistake being the silence during the Reagan administration in regard to the complacency in action taking in relation to the AIDS epidemic. It was 'their' disease. It was a 'gay disease.' Twenty-two million people died. Twenty-five million people are still infected. So they we were wrong. It was our disease and it still is. The same goes for ebola. It's not West Africa's disease. It is ours. Let us remember: Silence, apathy, a lack of support equals fatalities."

[Source: Rumorfix]