Film, stage and TV star Jeremy Pope was presented with GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award on at the 34th GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Pope is one of many notable names that joins the ranks of previous honorees such as Laverne Cox, Wanda Sykes, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, and even his Pose co-star Michaela Jae Rodriguez.
Pope, who stars in GLAAD Media Award winning film The Inspection directed by Elegance Bratton, has also starred on stage, the big screen, and TV, earning Tony Award, Golden Globe and Indie Spirit award nominations. He now adds the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to his accolades and who better to honor him with the award than his The Inspection co-star, Gabrielle Union.
“I’m just one of millions of moms who urge our kids to love out loud; to live out loud and to be everything they want to be in this life. And guess what? All LGBTQ young people want to be is themselves,” Union started. “They are hurting no one and no one should be hurting them.”
She continued, “Each one of us has the power to fight back by raising our voices, sharing our stories and speaking out. The man I’m here to honor has done that in a radically transparent way that is changing the industry and the culture… and that man is Mr. Jeremy Pope.”
Union said when she began exectuive producing The Inspection she slid into Pope’s DMs to ask him to do the project. “There’s no one else like you,” she looked at Pope in the audience, recollecting their conversation. “They broke the mold and you are a unicorn. You have to do this.”
And Pope did. He starred in Bratton’s movie about based on his life as a kid who was kicked out of home for being gay and joins the military. Union played his mom in the movie and said they developed a close bond. “An I know something about raising a queer Black child in this world.”
Union priased Pope’s “undeniable talents”, his soul and how he is open about his journey as a Black gay man. “That is part of his brilliance,” she stated. “It makes him a role model for all of us in marginalized communities and it makes me love him more fully and completely.”
The Stephen F. Kolzack Award is given to a LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues. It is named in honor of the Los Angeles casting director who devoted the last part of his life to fighting homophobia and HIV stigma within the entertainment industry. As Pope accepted the award he took a moment to take in the moment.
“I’m so fortunate to be able to use the gift of storytelling to bring visibility to marginalized stories,” he said. “And honestly I’m grateful for those who have given me the opportunity to open the door works from Janet Mock to Ryan Murphy to Elegance Bratton… I love you. Thank you for allowing me to be a vessel for something that is bigger than myself to represent life stories of nuance and emotional truth.”
He continued, “I want to take this moment to thank all of the Black men who have been influential in my life — who didn’t allow hyper masculinity or these ideas of who we are supposed to be for each other get in the way of loving and supportive…One of my heroes is here tonight: my dad.”
Pope’s father stood up and the emotions started to run as he talked about how his dad did not disown him when he said he wanted to be in Destiny’s Child. “It takes open heart and an open in mind to learn how to unconditionally love one another as we continue to build and fight the community we know that we are.”
“It’s rooms like this that show the power of this community and the power of love,” Pope said.
Hulu is the official streaming partner for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, for the third consecutive year. Stream the GLAAD Media Awards on Hulu, starting Wednesday, April 12.