The GLAAD Media Awards are set to honor a trio of members and allies of the LGBTQ community with awards at its 34th annual ceremony. Grammy-winning singer Christina Aguilera will receive GLAAD’s Advocate for Change Award for her decades-long allyship in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people while Bad Bunny will be given GLAAD’s Vanguard Award for championing queer visibility in Latinx culture. Last and certainly not least, actor Jeremy Pope will be honored the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, for breaking barriers across multiple industries as an out-LGBTQ media professional.
The news of the special honorees comes after RuPaul’s Drag Race queens Sasha Colby and Salina EsTitties revealed the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards nominees. The GLAAD Media Awards includes nearly 300 nominees, and the Los Angeles ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, March 30 where they will honor LGBTQ representation in categories that span film, TV, news, and Spanish-language media.
GLAAD’s Advocate for Change Award is presented to a person who, through their work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world. Previous honorees include Madonna and President Bill Clinton.
Aguilera, who has one of the most celebrated voices in history, has used her platform to be an advocate for the LGBTQ community, advancing conversations around LGBTQ acceptance and more, through music. Most recently, her impact on the LGBTQ community was realized after Club Q Colorado Springs shooting survivor, Michael Anderson, invoked her lyrics as he testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on LGBTQ violence. In 2002, Aguilera dedicated her single, “Beautiful,” to the LGBTQ community, with the line “words can’t bring us down” becoming a personal mantra for many queer people. The song brought a unique awareness and a sense of compassion in the face of hate, earning Aguilera a Special Recognition honor at the 14th GLAAD Media Awards. Last year, the seven-time Grammy-winner celebrated 20 years of “Beautiful” with a brand-new music video, reminding people of the importance of accepting themselves for who they are.
In addition, Aguilera raised over $500 million for HIV research with MAC cosmetics in 2004, spoke out loudly against Proposition 8 in 2008 and brought trans dancers and drag artists into the limelight during the 2012 American Music Awards. Following the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Aguilera dedicated the song, “Change,” to those affected by the tragedy with proceeds from the song going to victims’ families. She later penned a “Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community” for Billboard in 2017. Her very own Pride collection was launched in 2021, to proudly support two nonprofit organizations: TransTech and TransLash. Using the power of music to build bridges and demand change, Aguilera has redefined what it means to be a true advocate for the LGBTQ community, creating spaces for queer voices and talent to be known and thrive: From performing alongside breakthrough LGBTQ artists like Anitta, Syd, Kim Petras, Chika and Michaela Jaé, to condemning anti-LGBTQ legislation like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
“Christina Aguilera is a beloved icon who has inspired and shared messages of love for the LGBTQ community since the start of her music career. From using her voice to speak out against anti-LGBTQ legislation to creating songs and music videos that showcase LGBTQ love, Christina loudly and proudly raises the bar for what it means to be a LGBTQ ally today,” said GLAAD President & CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis.
Bad Bunny will receive GLAAD’s Vanguard Award is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues. Bad Bunny’s advocacy and outspoken allyship for the LGBTQ community has reached millions around the world. Named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2022, Grammy-winning artist uses his craft to powerfully speak out as an ally to transgender people and advance equality for the LGBTQ community, bringing his own voice to the forefront to help others see themselves in the world. Previous honorees include Beyoncé and JAY-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Kerry Washington, Cher, Janet Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Kacey Musgraves and Antonio Banderas.
As he reimagines the Latin urban music genre, LGBTQ people and issues remain in the vanguards of equality and inclusion for him, especially those in Puerto Rico, where he was born. His live performances and music videos cast an array of voices, experiences, and backgrounds, showcasing queer love and affection on full display. For his music video for “Yo Perreo Sola,” he dressed in drag, telling Rolling Stone, “I did it to show support to those who need it. I may not be gay, but I’m a human.”
During his performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he paid homage to Alexa Negrón Luciano, a trans woman murdered in the city of Toa Baja, wearing a shirt in Spanish that read: “They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt.” In 2019, the artist also helped influence a movement to force former Puerto Rican Governor, Ricardo Rosselló, to step down from office, after being exposed for corruption and anti-LGBTQ attitudes.
Bad Bunny also plans to executive produce the forthcoming Netflix adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel, “They Both Die in the End,” which features a queer Latinx storyline.
Previous GLAAD Vito Russo Award recipient Ricky Martin praised Bad Bunny for his allyship calling him an “icon for the Latin queer community” in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“Bad Bunny uses his role as one of the world’s most popular music artists to boldly shine a light on LGBTQ people and issues, including transgender equality and ending violence against trans women of color,” said Ellis. “By consistently advocating for our community, elevating our stories, and demanding action from anti-LGBTQ leaders, Bad Bunny redefines the positive influence Latin music artists can have within the LGBTQ community, and has set an example for all artists.”
GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award will be presented to Pope, the talented actor of film, TV and stage. The 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. Previous recipients of the Stephen F. Kolzak Award include: Laverne Cox, Wanda Sykes, Jim Parsons, Ruby Rose, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Ellen DeGeneres, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, among others.
Pope has garnered two Tony Award nominations, a Grammy Award nomination, an Emmy Award nomination, and a Golden Globe Award nomination. He recently starred in Elegance Bratton’s feature directorial debut The Inspection, which follows a closeted Black gay man through Marine Corps Recruit Training in a “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” era. The performance earned Pope his first Golden Globe nomination as well as a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for “Best Lead Performance.”
Prior to The Inspection, Pope earned Tony noms for his role in Choir Boy and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. He also starred in the Ryan Murphy’s series Hollywood, where he earned an Emmy nod. He was also featured in Pose. Pope is about to wrap his Broadway run as Jean-Michael Basquiat in Manhattan Theater Club’s The Collaboration. Later this year, he will be seen revisiting the role on the big screen.
“Jeremy Pope is one of today’s most talented and dynamic actors who has given life and excitement to important stories that impact and honor the LGBTQ community. Offscreen, Pope has used his voice to have important conversations about being an out actor in Hollywood, which are key to continuing to erase stigma and bias that affect out actors today,” said Ellis.
To purchase tickets for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, please visit: www.glaad.org/mediaawards/tickets.