Neil Patrick Harris / Counterpoint - Gay Playing Magnet for Women

Neil Patrick Harris has taken counterpoint to the max. He has rocketed to fame and great respect - within show business and with a wide variety of audiences - as a gay actor playing a magnet for women. His role as Barney in the wildly successful CBS series "How I Met Your Mother" has given him the opportunity to explore the emptiness of pursuing - and winning - an endless stream of attractive women (but never finding the right one with whom to settle down) while - in the reality of daily life - he announced that he was homosexual in 2006.

With a credo of "Always love the audience", he has been a champion of human and gay rights, using his multifaceted talents and abilities to win over many millions of people - from the widest variety of backgrounds and experiences - with his mastery of magic tricks, his hosting of the Emmy Awards, his hosting (and producing) of the Tony Awards, a recent surprise appearance at the Academy Awards, and phenomenal box-office success as the voice of the lead character in "Cloudy With Meatballs" - an animated film for families.

Neil"s background in entertainment runs deep. He starred as "Doogie Howser, M.D." / a genius teenage doctor who - despite his advanced professional status - still had to face the challenges of growing up into young adulthood. The element of counterpoint that carries on in Barney/Neil today can be seen in the ironic distinction of a teenager taking other people's lives into his hands as a Medical Doctor.

With the gay community discussing the most effective response to the proposition that rolled back same-sex marriage in California, Neil has transcended the realm of politics by demonstrating that character, talent, and - above all - the human heart triumph and set a superb example of how a life lived fully and well can establish the highest standards of human expression and achievement.