He appeared in numerous benefit concerts, including the "Broadway Celebrity Benefit for Hurricane Relief," "Heartsong: The Concert for New Orleans," and "With Love, From Broadway to the Bayou." He co-chaired a benefit at the Museum of New York that raised $150,000 for post-Katrina rebuilding and preservation efforts in the crescent city. In nearly all these events, he mournfully crooned, "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?"

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Not only did he use his theatrical gifts and contacts to help the recovery of New Orleans, he also utilized his decorating talents. He frequently appeared on television design shows promoting the recovery of New Orleans and participated in a program called "Pimp My [FEMA] Trailer" in which he decorated the temporary home of a woman displaced by Katrina.

In the wake of New Orleans' recovery from Katrina, Batt developed a cabaret act, premiering it as a fundraiser for the New Orleans cabaret Le Chat Noir then taking it to New York's Metropolitan Room and reprising it later as a benefit for Le Petit Théâtre in New Orleans.

In 2007, Batt was cast in the role that made him known far beyond Broadway, Salvatore Romano, the closeted art director in Mad Men. When he was first asked to audition for the role, he turned it down because he and Cianfichi had promised to take his goddaughter to Paris to repay her for various aid she rendered in the aftermath of Katrina, including evacuating Batt's mother from the city. Luckily, the role was still available when he returned from Paris, and he eagerly accepted a renewed invitation to audition.

The series, which has been awarded numerous Emmys, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as a Peabody Award, is distinguished by its attention to the details of its period setting in the early 1960s.

The ensemble acting in the series has been particularly praised, and as part of that ensemble Batt has shared in several awards. His portrayal of Romano, an Italian-American outsider in the waspy world of the Sterling Cooper ad agency, is subtle and richly layered.

The story line featuring Romano during the series' first three seasons emphasized both Romano's homosexuality and his attempt to repress it. In the second season, the character marries, but in the opening of the third season he has an encounter with a hotel bellhop, which is observed by the head of the agency, Don Draper. At the end of the season, however, Draper fires Romano at the behest of a client whose advances the art director had rejected.

It is unclear whether Romano will return in the fourth season. Although Batt's contract has not been renewed, he has observed that the character has been fired not killed, so there may be hope that he will return either to the Sterling Cooper agency or, perhaps, open his own agency.

During his run on Mad Men, Batt also made appearances on other television shows, including a recurring role in ABC's Ugly Betty, as well as guest segments on home decorating shows such as Martha Stewart.

In 2010, Batt published an affectionate memoir, She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother, which emphasizes his mother's charm and courage. He does not shy away from the pain his father's infidelity caused or the shadow cast by the ill health of his parents, but the book is optimistic and funny. He also has a contract for a forthcoming book on design.

As one of a limited number of openly gay actors, Batt was asked to comment on Ramin Setoodeh's controversial April 2010 article in Newsweek alleging that gay actors cannot convincingly play straight roles. Observing that the article was "self-loathing," Batt went on to refute Setoodeh's premise by defending the acting abilities of the gay actors maligned in the article, especially Sean Hayes.

There have been recurrent rumors that Batt and Cianfichi either had married or were intending to marry. When asked about these rumors, Batt confirmed that they had considered marrying in California before Proposition 8 passed, but that the illness of his mother made it impossible. He added that they had now decided against marrying until they could do so in their own state: "I'm not going to haul my cookies to another state to enjoy a right that should be enjoyed in all states."

Batt is active in numerous charitable, civic, and political organizations, including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Human Rights Campaign, the Point Foundation, and N.O. AIDS Task Force.

Batt and Cianfinchi live "tri-coastally," splitting their time between New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.

American television has made significant strides in its portrayal of homosexuals in dramatic series and movies, but cable networks have been more daring than the "big three" broadcast networks.

Historically, cabarets and revues have been much more likely to mention or imply same-sex desire than the "legitimate" theater; and same-sex desire has been less frequently condemned in cabarets and revues than in mainstream plays.

Although few gay actors have been permitted the luxury of openness, many of them have challenged and helped reconfigure notions of masculinity and, to a lesser extent, of homosexuality.

There has always been homosexual involvement in American musical theatre and a homosexual sensibility even in straight musicals, and recently the Broadway musical has welcomed openly homosexual themes and situations.

One of America's most colorful cities, New Orleans boasts a rich tradition for glbtq people and is both a popular travel destination for gay men and lesbians and the home of a diverse glbtq community.

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual actors and actresses are among the elite of contemporary theater, but only recently have many come out publicly.

Award-winning lyricist and playwright Howard Ashman collaborated with Alan Menken on projects as diverse as the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors and the animated Disney film Beauty and the Beast.

Funnyman Frank DeCaro has found success both in serious journalism as a fashion writer and editor and in comedy as a writer, performer, and radio talk show host.

American fashion designer Perry Ellis achieved spectacular success, based on his clean-cut, casual, yet often whimsical designs; but his career was cut short by his early death, rumored to have been the result of complications from AIDS.

Award-winning Harvey Fierstein is one of the finest gay male playwrights currently working in the American theater.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a watchdog group dedicated to promoting accurate representations of the glbtq community in the media.

Child actor Neil Patrick Harris has made a successful transition to mature roles, showcasing his singing and dancing abilities along the way; he has also spoken out on behalf of glbtq causes.

Multi-talented Sam Harris is best known as a singer and actor; since coming out publicly in 1999, he has lent his voice to the cause of glbtq rights.

Actor Sean Hayes gained renown and awards for his role as a gay character on the hit comedy series Will & Grace, but did not come out publicly as a gay man until 2010.

A proponent of the "diva musical," Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman made homosexuality the undisguised subject of La Cage aux Folles but he did so just as gay culture lost its need of a diva to voice its concerns.

The largest glbtq political organization in the United States, the Human Rights Campaign has emerged as the leading national organization representing glbtq concerns.

The career of interior design has been stereotyped as gay; although this stereotype often invites ridicule, it stems from a cultural perception that gay men may have special skills in the area of artistic design and fashion trends.

Comedian, actress, television talk show host, and openly gay mom, Rosie O'Donnell has achieved remarkable success in her relatively short career.

Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce, best known for his comic performance on the long-running hit comedy television series Frasier, belatedly acknowledged his homosexuality in 2007.

The Point Foundation offers financial support and mentoring to college students who have been marginalized because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Proposition 8, also known as the California Marriage Protection Act, is the ballot proposition that amended the California state constitution to ban same-sex marriage; it is the subject of ongoing litigation that may restore marriage equality to California.

Out American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter Paul Rudnick brings a gently subversive wit to all of his projects.

One of the seminal fashion designers of our era, Yves Saint Laurent not only created a venerable fashion empire, but has also inspired many other designers.

Asian-American actor B. D. Wong came to prominence with his extraordinary performance in M. Butterfly and has since established himself as a talented character actor in film and television and as a champion of glbtq causes.