WATCH: Kerry Washington’s incredible call to action at the GLAAD Awards

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Actress Kerry Washington brought a crowd to its feet as she called on groups such as the LGBT community, those with disabilities, women and those from ethnic minority groups to come together.

Accepting the coveted Vanguard Award at the 26th annual GLAAD Awards at the weekend, saying different groups had been “pitted against each other”.

She said: “Women, poor people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans people, intersex people: we have been pitted against each other and made to feel like there are limited seats at the table for those of us who fall into the category of ‘other,'” she said.

“As others, we are taught that to be successful, we must reject those other others, or we will never belong.”

Continuing, Washington condemned those opposed to same-sex marriage.

“We can’t say that we believe in each other’s fundamental humanity and then turn a blind eye to the reality of each others’ existence and the truth of each other’s hearts. We must be allies. And we must be allies in this business because to be represented is to be humanized. And as long as anyone, anywhere is being made to feel less human, our very definition of humanity is at stake and we are all vulnerable,” she continued.

Often the subject of rumours about her sexuality, the ‘Django Unchained’ star spoke in an interview in 2013 to say: “…I’ve never been bothered by the lesbian rumour. There’s nothing offensive about it, so there’s no reason to be offended.”

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