True Blood hunk and longtime LGBT ally Joe Manganiello attended the Human Rights Campaign Seattle Dinner last weekend to accept the Ally for Equality Award.

Said Manganiello during his acceptance speech:

You know I never set out to be an advocate, I’m simply a person who believes in equality for everyone. And I’m a person who believes in standing up for his friends. And if I’m being completely honest, there’s a small part of me that felt weird about accepting an award just because I think that everyone should be treated the same – that each individual be allowed the basic human right to love whomever their heart wants to love without fear or hatred or prejudice. 

Check out the full speech, which includes a highlight reel of some of Manganiello’s greatest shirtless moments in cinema AFTER THE JUMP…