Dylan Efron, also known as Miss Guided (thanks Bob the Drag Queen) and one-fourth of The Traitors winners, presented the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program – Competition to RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as Outstanding Reality Program to The Real Housewives of New York City on March 27 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
“What I appreciated most about being on our season [of The Traitors] was the diversity,” said Efron before presenting the award. “Nearly half of our cast was LGBTQ, and so are half of our winners — Gabby and Lord Ivar.”
He continued, “A new GLAAD petition calls on reality TV producers to cast more LGBTQ people. No one person should have to represent this huge diverse community. We we should all see ourselves represented in the shows we love and watch.”
Efron references the recent petition announced earlier this month along with a “reality check” open letter from Traitors and Drag Race alum Peppermint as well as Big Brother alum Frankie Grande. The open letter “highlights how LGBTQ individuals have historically been reduced to stereotypes or singular storylines that fail to capture the richness of the community’s experiences.”
The celebration and call to action to have more queer stories on reality TV and beyond when Drag Race season 16 queens Sapphira Cristál, Morphine Love Dion, Plane Jane, Xunami Muse, Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige, Mirage, and Plasma took the stage to accept the award.
“Seventeen years after its premiere, Drag Race is still the number one show made by queer people, for queer people and starring a cast of queer people,” said Sapphira Cristál, marking the fourth GLAAD Media Award win for the series. “And for that, we owe a debt of gratitude to the world of wonder MTV, and, of course, the one and only RuPaul.”
After emphasizing the “T” in LGBTQIA, Sapphira Cristál reminded the audience: “Our stories matter. Your voices matter. And the only way we can make change is when we stand together.”
True to Sapphira Cristál form, she invited the crowd to participate in self-affirmation, telling them to say out loud, “I truly love and accept myself”.
“No matter what anybody has to say to you or about you… always remember to truly love and accept who you are, when you are, where you are, how you are — you are perfect. today. God bless you. God bless RuPaul Drag Race and God bless America.”
Immediately after Efron presented the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program to The Real Housewives of New York City cast member Racquel Chevremont accepted the trophy, continuing the celebration and talking about her experience about being queer and on the wildly popular reality TV series on Bravo.
Earlier in the evening on the red carpet, Chevremont talked about the importance of the evening.
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