Highlights: Watch Patricia Arquette, Moonlight, Troye Sivan among Honorees at 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

Los Angeles, Sunday, April 2, 2017 – GLAAD, the world’s LGBTQ advocacy organization, honored Patricia Arquette, Troye Sivan, and outstanding LGBTQ images in film and television at the 28^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

The 28^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will air exclusively on Logo on Thursday, April 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Cameron Esposito hosted the event that included a tribute to the lives lost in the Orlando Pulse nightclub attack by Jussie Smollett and a powerful performance of ‘Imagine’ by Cynthia Erivo. Mary J. Blige, Paris Jackson, Josh Hutcherson, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Justice, Carly Rae Jepsen, Trevante Rhodes, Justin Tranter, Trace Lysette, Cookie Johnson, and Stephanie Beatriz were among the special guests. The 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented by Delta Air Lines, Hilton, Ketel One Vodka, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and Wells Fargo.

Photographs and video from the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles are available upon request.

Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYSw15YV78
Troye Sivan’s acceptance speech: https://youtu.be/y9MpzxBvZYo

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories from the LGBTQ community and issues that build support for equality and acceptance.

At the ceremony, Luke Perry and Jeffrey Tambor presented Patricia Arquette with GLAAD's Vanguard Award, which is presented to media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the LGBTQ community.

In her acceptance speech, Patricia Arquette called out Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice for ignoring a letter from six Democratic members of Congress calling for a federal hate crime investigation into the pattern of murders of transgender women. “Can you hear us, Jeff Sessions?” she said, and added, “You don’t need to have a trans family member, or a gay friend, or a questioning kid for this to affect you. It doesn’t matter what color or gender or faith you are. So many marginalized groups are under attack. When one of us is vulnerable, all of us are vulnerable.”

Arquette also remembered her late sister Alexis as a courageous trailblazer who “challenged the movie industry at its core” by living her truth as a trans woman. “She risked it all because she couldn’t live a lie,” Arquette stated. “Whatever mark I have made in this life in activism will always pale in the light of Alexis’s bravery. She did not knock on the door of progress. She kicked the door open.”

Also at the event, surprise guest Carly Rae Jepsen joined legendary songwriter and GLAAD Board Member Justin Tranter to present singer-songwriter Troye Sivan with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which honors LGBTQ media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance.

In his acceptance speech, Sivan called attention to enormous challenges faced by the LGBTQ community, including violence against transgender women of color and rates of youth homelessness. He concluded with a message of hope of empowerment, saying, “Don’t let anyone strip you of your truth and your love, because those are the foundations of who we are as a community.” He added, “In a time where it might be tempting to retreat into the shadows, I ask you to be louder – keep holding hands, keep finding pride in your identity, keep standing up for those in our community who are most vulnerable, keep love in your heart, and share it with the world.”

Music icon Mary J. Blige presented the award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release to Moonlight. Tarell Alvin McCraney accepted the award on the film’s behalf, and was joined onstage by Trevante Rhodes and producer Jeremy Kleiner.

Josh Hutcherson presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series to Freeform’s Shadowhunters. Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr. accepted on the show’s behalf.

Paris Jackson and Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany and presented the award for Outstanding Comedy Series to Transparent. Alexandra Billings and Trace Lysette accepted on the show’s behalf, and were joined onstage by creator Jill Soloway, stars Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Alexandra Grey, Jay Duplass, as well as members of the creative team.

GLAAD previously announced that it was acknowledging two web series, Her Story (HerStoryShow.com) and We’ve Been Around (WeveBeenAround.com), and music video "Sin Ir Más Lejos" by Gema Corredera, with Special Recognition Awards.

Additional special guests include: Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games); Trevante Rhodes, Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight); Tatiana Maslany, Kristian Bruun, Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black); recording artist Mary J. Blige; Victoria Justice (The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do The Time Warp Again); Paris Jackson (Star); Jussie Smollett (Empire); Caitlyn Jenner, Candis Cayne (I Am Cait); Erika Jayne (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills); Daniel Newman, Tom Payne (The Walking Dead); Barrett Foa (NCIS: Los Angeles; Chyler Leigh, Floriana Lima (Supergirl); Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple); author Cookie Johnson; TV personality EJ Johnson; Rhea Butcher (Take My Wife); Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine); Matthew Daddario, Harry Shum Jr. (Shadowhunters); Jen Richards,  Kate Fisher, Angelica Ross and Laura Zak (Her Story); Tichina Arnold, Erica Ash, Mike O’Malley (Survivor’s Remorse); Tig Notaro, Noah Harpster (One Mississippi); Jill Soloway, Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Alexandra Billings, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, Trace Lysette, Alexandra Grey, Zackary Drucker, Rhys Ernst, Our Lady J (Transparent); Kiersey Clemons, Jacqueline Toboni (Easy); Isis King, Cassandra Cass (Strut); Ethan Embry, June Diane Raphael, Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie); Teri Polo, Sherri Saum, Elliot Fletcher (The Fosters); CMT host Cody Alan; Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe); and GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Award recipients announced Saturday in Los Angeles.  Additional awards will be presented in New York at the New York Hilton Midtown on May 6.

• Vanguard Award: Patricia Arquette  (presented by Luke Perry and Jeffrey Tambor)
• Stephen F. Kolzak Award: Troye Sivan (presented by Carly Rae Jepsen and Justin Tranter)

• Outstanding Film – Wide Release: Moonlight (A24) [accepted by: Tarell Alvin McCraney and Trevante Rhodes]

• Outstanding Drama Series: Shadowhunters (Freeform) [accepted by: Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr.]
• Outstanding Comedy Series: Transparent (Amazon) [accepted by: creator Jill Soloway with stars Alexandra Billings, Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, and Trace Lysette, and producers Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst]

• Outstanding Film – Limited Release: Other People (Vertical Entertainment
• Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series: Eyewitness (USA Network)

• Outstanding Individual Episode: "San Junipero" Black Mirror (Netflix)

• Outstanding Daily Drama: The Bold and The Beautiful (CBS)
• Outstanding Comic Book: The Woods, written by James Tynion IV (BOOM! Studios)

SPANISH-LANGUAGE CATEGORIES

• Outstanding Music Artist: Kany García, Limonada (Sony Music Latin)
• Outstanding Local TV Journalism: "A la calle por quien soy" Noticias 34 (KMEX-Univision 34 [Los Ángeles])
• Outstanding Newspaper Article: "Las discretas batallas LGBTI ganadas en Guatemala" by Sonia Pérez D. (Associated Press)
• Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: "6 mujeres transgénero exitosas que rompen moldes en América Latina" by Leire Ventas (BBCMundo.com)

In January, GLAAD announced 115 nominees in 21 English-language categories and 41 Spanish-language nominees in 11 categories.  Nominees for the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards may be found here:  /mediaawards/nominees.

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

The New York GLAAD Media Awards ceremony will take place on May 6 at the New York Hilton Midtown.

The 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards corporate partners include Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Hilton, Ketel One Vodka, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Partners Bud Light and Hyundai; Titanium Partners Comcast NBCUniversal and Southwest Airlines, Platinum partners 21st Century Fox, Allstate Insurance Company, AT&T, Disney ABC Television Group, ESPN, Facebook, MetLife, NBA & WNBA, Netflix, Sheppard Mullin, and Turner; Gold partners CBS, iHeartMedia, MLB, Nielsen, Omnicom Group, PwC, Showtime, TLC/Discovery, UM, Univision, and Viacom; and Silver partners BD, Carat, Coca-Cola, Skadden, U.S. Bank, Westfield, 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.