Tim Cook to receive Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award for LGBT efforts

The Human Rights Campaign announced Thursday that it will present Apple CEO Tim Cook with the Visibility Award at its 19th annual National Dinner next month, an event honoring high-profile public figures who fight for LGBT equality.

In an official statement published to HRC's website, the organization's president Chad Griffin called Cook a visionary, citing the Apple chief's personal and professional contributions to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"His willingness to bravely and directly speak his truth has not only given hope to countless people around the world, it has saved lives," Griffin said of Cook. "Through his example and Apple's commitment to equality, LGBT young people in particular can look to Tim Cook's incredible career and know that there is nothing holding them back. They can dream as big as their minds allow them to, even if they want to be the CEO of one of the world's largest companies."

Cook, who came out publicly last October, has actively promoted pro-equality legislation in the U.S., including in his home state of Alabama.

Under Cook, Apple has become a leading corporate supporter of LGBT issues, throwing its substantial clout behind non-discriminatory public policy like the Equality Act. The push is part of a wider initiative to achieve gender and racial parity within Apple, which some hope will have a cascading effect on tech sector at large. Last November, HRC gave Apple a perfect score in its Corporate Equality Index for the 13th time in a row.

Cook has direct ties to HRC as a notable financial contributor to the organization's Project One America campaign, an initiative focused on LGBT non-discrimination policies in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The 19th annual HRC National Dinner is scheduled to take place on Oct. 3, 2015, in Washington, D.C., where Vice President Joe Biden will deliver the keynote address.