Even if you're not a Whedonite yourself, you've got to give it up for the fans of Joss Whedon. The Buffy, Angel and Firefly fanatics have created a community that has held multiple nationwide fundraisers for Whedon's favorite charitable organization Equality Now and single-handedly acted as the grassroots marketing engine behind Whedon's directorial film debut Serenity. Let's just say, they're a nice bunch.

A group of those fans has now turned its attention to honoring Whedon with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Their collective reasoning is sorta sweet. "It's a tangible way to show respect by giving him something else to add to his legacy and to show how much he means to us...It's not all about Joss...It's about family, not the one we are born into by blood, but the one that Joss created out of his work...We cannot give him the prestigious awards; most of us are not on any academy boards, nor people that have a choice of nominations." Sorta makes you tear up a bit, doesn't it? Pop culture making the connection. The people's star.

Fans of Joss Whedon know he is very active in the charity organization called Equality Now, which "works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world." He recently was honored by the organization for his work and for the awesome female characters he has created in all of his television shows and movies. After being introduced by Meryl Streep, Joss gives a great speech explaining why he writes women characters so well. It's clever, funny, and so very Joss Whedon. It's also inspirational as it takes a stab at Hollywood and stupid reporters. I think he gives the whole speech without any notes. (You may have already seen this since it's been on YouTube since June, but it was new to me)

Video after the jump:

Oh, you Browncoats. I love you guys.

Fans of Firefly have organized charity screenings of Serenity (the big-screen adaptation of the short-lived show) in 38 cities in 5 countries on June 23rd. The date just happens to be creator Joss Whedon's birthday. Proceeds of the special screening will go to Whedon's favorite charity, Equality Now, an international organization that works to end violence against women and girls.

The charity event is being called Serenity Now/Equality Now. Click here to see if it's showing in your city. And, if you live in PDX, I'll see you at Cinema 21!