Wendy Williams to Host NYC Council Pride

Wendy Williams, host of The Wendy Williams Show on Fox, will be the MC for the annual pride celebration of the New York City Council on June 15.

The invitation grew from Williams's work with the council on I Talk Because, a video-based public education campaign for HIV/AIDS, according to council speaker Christine Quinn.

"She did a really terrific video and we kept talking about other things," said Quinn. "She was excited about the idea of MCing and I'm really excited about the idea of having her. I'm a huge fan. Huge."

Quinn said that Williams's outspokenness on LGBT issues and responsiveness to controversies like her use of the phrase "no homo" makes the former hip-hop DJ the right match for the pride celebration.

"I think Wendy represents in a lot of ways, in her honesty and in her directness, the type of conversation that you need to constantly engage in if you're going to keep society moving to a place where we are united and not divided by our otherness," she said. "If there are cultural differences when people are talking about things, to stay in the movement, to learn from it, have both sides learn from it, that's really what you want."

This year marks the first pride celebration with the council's largest ever contingent of openly gay members, which includes Quinn and Rosie Mendez of Manhattan, and newcomers Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer from Queens.

"It's great because there's even more energy and ideas flowing around," said Quinn. "It was very, very empowering and important that in January, four of us and (council member) Melissa Mark-Viverito went to San Juan together to speak out against the murder of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado."

Lopez Mercado's family will attend the pride celebration as guests next month. Also on hand will be actress and singer Audra McDonald, star of ABC's Private Practice.