Melissa Etheridge and Adam Lambert to Perform Unforgettable Duet at 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

LGBTQ Icons Melissa Etheridge and Adam Lambert Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Etheridge’s Seminal Album ‘Yes I Am’ with duet to ‘I’m the Only One’

Ava DuVernay, Samira Wiley, JAY-Z’s mom Gloria Carter to be honored at event; Ross Mathews to host; special guests include Halsey, Alexis Bledel, Laverne Cox, Lea Michele, Tituss Burgess, Nyle DiMarco, Wrabel, Blair Imani, and Asia Kate Dillon

New York, NY, Friday, April 27, 2018 – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today announced that legendary LGBTQ singers Melissa Etheridge and Adam Lambert will open the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on Saturday, May 5, 2018. Etheridge and Lambert will unite for the first time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her breakthrough album YES I AM by performing an unforgettable new arrangement of her song "I'm The Only One."

“Melissa Etheridge is a living legend whose coming out 25 years ago was a powerful inspiration for the entire LGBTQ community, myself included,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO. “Add in the amazing Adam Lambert to the mix and this is sure to be a one-of-kind performance to remember.”

GLAAD previously announced that Samira Wiley would receive the Vito Russo Award from actress Alexis Bledel and Ava DuVernay would receive the Excellence in Media Award. Gloria Carter, JAY-Z’s mother, will receive a Special Recognition Award for the song ‘Smile’ which appeared on her son’s 4:44album. GLAAD also announced that TV personality Ross Mathews will host the event, with special appearances by Halsey, Laverne Cox, Lea Michele, Wrabel, Tituss Burgess, and Asia Kate Dillon.

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to accelerate acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented by Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo.

Melissa Etheridge is a Grammy-winning singer songwriter with a storied career spanning three decades. Etheridge is also a recipient of GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is presented to an LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting LGBTQ acceptance.

A committed LGBTQ activist, Etheridge came out in 1993, bringing increased visibility to the LGBTQ community. She was an avid supporter of marriage equality and fought tirelessly against legislation that sought to ban it. Etheridge has also sought to bridge the gap that exists between LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ Christians with a moving op-ed where she stated: “Sure, there are plenty of hateful people who will always hold on to their bigotry like a child to a blanket. But there are also good people out there, Christian and otherwise, that are beginning to listen.”

Etheridge also showed her support for LGBTQ Russians by launching a social movement called Uprising of Love. Uprising of Love is dedicated to supporting the Russian Freedom Fund, which works for long-term, systemic change in the status and treatment of Russia’s LGBTQ community. She also debuted a song of the same name to garner a following and attention for the important initiative.

International superstar Adam Lambert is a Billboard chart topping, multi-award winning, multi-platinum-selling-singer-songwriter and performer.  Lambert stepped into the national spotlight in 2009 when he became a finalist on the eighth season of American Idol.  His vocal range, along with his unique style, made him a standout contestant and he quickly won over millions of viewers.  He went on to release three albums, the first of which spawned international hit “Whataya Want From Me,” earning him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 2012, he scored the #1 chart position on the Billboard Top 200 with his album TRESPASSING, making him the first openly gay artist to reach the number one spot in the US and Canada. In 2013 he appeared as a guest star on the GLAAD Media Award-winning hit TV series ‘Glee’. After a sold-out world tour promoting his third album, he went on to play Eddie in the Fox version of the ‘Rocky Horror Show’ and later that year finished his stint as a winning judge on The X Factor Australia. Adam has been touring as the lead singer of Queen (Queen + Adam Lambert) since 2012, including two huge world arena tours which sold out in minutes and gained critical acclaim. 2018 sees Adam continuing to tour the arenas of the world with Queen, alongside recording his fourth album coming soon.

As an out pop star, Lambert has used his status to help advance acceptance and raise visibility of the LGBTQ community. Lambert is a recipient of GLAAD’s Davidson/Valentini Award, which is presented to an LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting acceptance for the LGBTQ community.

GLAAD will announce the winners from the following GLAAD Media Award categories at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York: Outstanding Film – Wide Release, Outstanding Documentary, Outstanding Reality Program, Outstanding Music Artist, Outstanding Talk Show Episode, Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine, Outstanding TV Journalism Segment, Outstanding Newspaper Article, Outstanding Magazine Article, Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage, Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia, Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine (Spanish Language), and Outstanding TV Journalism Segment (Spanish Language).

At the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, held on April 12 at the Beverly Hilton, GLAAD announced the winners for 12 GLAAD Media Award categories. They are: Outstanding Drama Series (This Is Us), Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBTQ character) (“Thanksgiving” Master of None), Outstanding Kids & Family Programming (Andi Mack), Outstanding Comedy Series (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Outstanding Film – Limited Release (A Fantastic Woman), Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series (When We Rise), Outstanding Comic Book (Black Panther: World of Wakanda), Outstanding Daily Drama (The Bold and the Beautiful), Outstanding Digital Journalism Article (“Why Bisexual Men Are Still Fighting to Convince Us They Exist” by Samantha Allen), Outstanding Blog (TransGriot), Outstanding Scripted Television Series (Spanish Language) (Las Chicas Del Cable), Outstanding Digital Journalism (Spanish Language) (“Tres Hermanitos Para Dos Papás” by Jacqueline García). GLAAD also honored Britney Spears with the Vanugard Award and Jim Parsons with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award. GLAAD announced a Special Recognition Award for Jay-Z’s song and music video “Smile” featuring his mother Gloria Carter who used the song to come out as a lesbian as well as a Special Recognition Award to the animated short film In A Heartbeat. Nominees can be found here:www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees

Additional special guests from the GLAAD Media Awards in New York will be announced.

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.

The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards corporate partners include Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Partner Bud Light; Platinum Partners 21st Century Fox, Allstate Insurance Company, AT&T, Creative Arts Agency (CAA), Comcast NBCUniversal | Telemundo, Disney ABC Television Group | ESPN, Hyundai, Kaiser Permanente, Kelley Drye, MetLife, NBA | WNBA, Netflix, Omnicom Group, Sheppard Mullin, Southwest Airlines, and Turner; Gold Partners CBS | Showtime, Facebook, Nielsen, PwC, UM, Univision, Warner Bros.; and Silver Partners Coca-Cola, Hornet, Major League Baseball, Morgan Stanley, Pride Media, Skadden, Variety, and WWE. For a full list of corporate partners and information on how to become a corporate partner, purchase tickets, and place a tribute in the tribute book, please visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards.