Beyonce And Jay-Z To Be Honored At 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards
Beyonce and Jay-Z are slated to be honored in a major way at the 30th annual GLAAD Media Awards.
The singer and rapper will receive the Vanguard Award for their LGBTQ allyship at the award ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday, Mar. 28.
The Vanguard Award is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting the acceptance of LGBTQ people.
The “Drunk In Love” singer has used her voice to speak out against laws that would discriminate against LGBTQ people in states including North Carolina, she’s included LGBTQ people and couples in her videos like “Formation” and “All Night,” and proudly used transgender actress Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black) as one of the featured models in her brand Ivy Park’s campaigns.
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: Laverne Cox captured at the 11 Honore front row during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Gallery I at Spring Studios on February 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)
Last year, Jay-Z received a GLAAD Special Recognition Award for his song and music video, “Smile,” which features his mother Gloria Carter who used the single to come out as a lesbian.
The “Story of O.J.” rapper also featured LGBTQ people in his art including writer, director, producer, and transgender advocate Janet Mock, who appeared in the Brooklyn rapper’s “Family Feud” video. The video also opened up with a quote from iconic gay writer James Baldwin.
“Beyoncé and Jay-Z are global icons and passionate defenders of human rights and acceptance for all people,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
“When Beyoncé and Jay-Z speak, the world becomes inspired and when it comes to LGBTQ people, their voices of acceptance have been heard loud and clear. We could not be prouder to stand with them to send a message of love during the biggest LGBTQ event in the world and to honor their work to bend the arc of justice forward for LGBTQ people, people of color, and marginalized communities everywhere.”
Jennifer Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, and Janet Jackson are previous Vanguard Award honorees.
Madonna will receive the Advocate for Change Award at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on May. 4.
The annual award ceremony honors media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter @GlennishaMorgan
