On Saturday (Might 11), there was just one present on planet Earth that would boast extra queer power than the Eurovision Track Contest, and that was the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards in New York Metropolis on the Midtown Hilton Resort.
And never in contrast to this yr’s Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden, the occasion was not with out protestors. A small group of protestors accusing Israel of genocide in opposition to the Palestinian individuals picketed exterior the resort’s entrance through the thirty fifth annual GLAAD Media Awards; extra notably, on the high of the present itself, one attendee interrupted the opening monologue by host Ross Mathews to repeatedly declare “GLAAD is complicit in genocide” earlier than being escorted out.
“That was uncomfy for everyone,” Mathews mentioned after a pause. “However you understand what? We have now to struggle for everybody’s rights – and that’s one among them.”
Whereas the Israel-Hamas Conflict didn’t come up once more that evening, politics have been nonetheless central to the GLAAD Media Awards, as at all times. New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James made an look to rejoice LGBTQ New Yorkers and communicate out for trans rights; GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis urged attendees to make use of their “platform and privilege” to make sure that the following U.S. president shall be a human who values LGBTQ rights — and warned that the Supreme Court docket “will roll again our authorized marriages like they rolled again Roe v. Wade” in a strong, fiery speech; and one very well-known Oscar winner took a few hilarious pot pictures at a former U.S. vp through the present.
Jennifer Lawrence (rocking a Veronica Lake haircut) appeared to rejoice “my favourite musician and good buddy Orville Peck,” who was receiving the Vito Russo Award (named after the late activist and writer of The Celluloid Closet) on the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards.
“I like seeing so many people who can high their discipline whereas nonetheless being energy bottoms,” Lawrence cracked. Speaking about her love for the homosexual neighborhood, Lawrence mentioned she as soon as fell in love with a homosexual man, however quickly realized her advances have been for naught. “Conversion remedy doesn’t work,” she mentioned. “Did you hear me, Mike Pence? I mentioned conversion remedy shouldn’t be actual – although you suppose it labored on you.”
Accepting the award, Peck talked about being a singer-songwriter in a style that’s not at all times been essentially the most open to the LGBTQ neighborhood. “I’m one among many people right here who’ve felt excluded or held again due to who we’re,” Peck mentioned, including that queer individuals nonetheless handle to “flip tragedy into artwork, humor and tradition.”
Peck additionally spoke on the “duty for visibility” in relation to all minority communities and what it means to the following technology “to permit some child in a small city who loves nation music to see themselves in me or Mickey Guyton or T.J. Osborne.”
Earlier within the evening, Jennifer Hudson – who already has an EGOT – added one other award to her trophy room when she hit the stage to just accept the GLAAD for excellent selection or discuss present episode, for an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Present during which she shocked HIV activist Ian Haddock (of the Regular Anomaly Initiative) with $10,000.
After a fundraising portion that raised greater than $350,000, Loren Allred took the stage to carry out an emotional model of “By no means Sufficient” from The Best Showman, in addition to the upbeat “Come Alive.” The latter was a duet, with Scott Hoying (of Pentatonix and Superfruit) becoming a member of her on the flippantly funky vocal showcase.
Towards the top of the evening, Billboard (and Billboard‘s Pleasure Editor Stephen Daw) have been honored when GLAAD named Billboard‘s 2023 Pleasure Concern cowl story the excellent print article of the yr. The (now award-winning) article, written by Daw, is a wide-ranging, in-depth interview with Maren Morris and 4 drag artists concerning the proliferation of drag bans in the USA. You may learn it right here.
