Happy Birthday to...

...the sensational Judith Light! The Emmy winning actress and beloved gay icon turns 59 today.

Why we love her: There's all the great television characters like Claire Meade on "Ugly Betty," Karen Woleck on "One Life to Live" and, of course, Angela on "Who's the Boss." But her best performance, in my opinion, will be seen later this year when "Save Me" hits theaters. Judith, playing a woman who runs an ex-gay ministry, is so superb, so heartbreaking, that I think she is worthy of an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

Let the campaign begin!

But most of all, as a gay man, I love her for being an unflinching straight ally to the gay community. She has worked tirelessly for AIDS awareness since the mid-80s and that work has grown to all kinds of LGBT causes for which she serves on boards and appears at events and, always, she speaks from her very big heart.