Read more: ‘Glee’s’ Ryan Murphy pulls out of Will Smith “Annie” remake

The hit US TV shows were jointly named Best Comedy Series for their portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues (LGBT) and ‘Glee’ co-stars Chris Colfer and Mike O’Malley accepted the prize alongside Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julie Bowen and Ariel Winter.

According to GLAAD, the prize is handed out to those who increase visibility and understanding of the LGBT community.

‘I Love You, Phillip Morris’, starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, was named Outstanding Film on Limited Release, while ‘Project Runway’ won the reality TV award after featuring a contestant who publicly revealed he was HIV positive.

The Stephen F. Kolzak Award, given to an openly gay member of the entertainment or media community for efforts to eliminate homophobia, was presented to NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt by Dolly Parton.

He has said of his role: "I’m in a position to get things through a process and get them on the air. So, that’s what I’m going to try to do. I wish that the success of ‘Queer as Folk’ and ‘The L Word’ had spawned dozens and dozens of shows all across the TV landscape that had all kinds of gay characters. There are gay characters in various shows here and there. But I think it’s a process. Some years it sort of pushes forward and some years it doesn’t."

The Los Angeles ceremony was the second night of the awards, which hands out its honours in three different cities.

The final seven awards will be handed out in San Francisco on May 14.

Read more: ‘Glee’s’ Ryan Murphy pulls out of Will Smith “Annie” remake