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Global icon Britney Spears to be
honored
at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles
for LGBTQ support and allyship
Britney Spears joins Previous
GLAAD Vanguard Award Recipients including
Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Kerry
Washington, Janet Jackson, Eric McCormack and more
GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ
media advocacy organization, today announced that it
will honor multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning pop
icon Britney Spears at the 29th Annual
GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at Beverly Hilton
on Thursday, April 12, 2018.
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, Ketel One Vodka,
and Wells Fargo.
Spears will receive GLAAD’s Vanguard
Award, which is presented to media professionals who
have made a significant difference in promoting
equality and acceptance of LGBTQ people. Previous
Vanguard Award honorees include Jennifer Lopez,
Cher, Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Taylor, Whoopi
Goldberg, Antonio Banderas, Drew Barrymore, Janet
Jackson, Demi Lovato, Eric McCormack, Josh
Hutcherson, and Patricia Arquette.
Britney Spears is a multi-platinum,
Grammy Award-winning pop icon, and one of the most
successful and celebrated entertainers in pop
history with more than 100 million records sold
worldwide. Her cutting-edge pop concert Las Vegas
residency, “Britney: Piece of Me,” at Planet
Hollywood Resort & Casino has been voted “Best Show
in Las Vegas.” Spears recently announced that the
show will tour around the globe. For tickets visit: https://www.britneyspears.com/events
Spears is a longtime ally and
supporter of the LGBTQ community. She has
consistently stood up for LGBTQ youth on GLAAD’s
Spirit Day by going purple on social media to speak
out against bullying. In 2015, she released a Spirit
Day video and promoted participation in the
anti-bullying campaign by organizing a
meet-and-greet for LGBTQ fans, washing
her stage at Planet Hollywood purple, and providing
anti-bullying materials to concertgoers. In
2016, she was among over 20 music artists to appear
on GLAAD's
song “Hands,” released with Interscope Records
to remember the 49 lives taken in the Orlando Pulse
nightclub shooting. The musical tribute to the
victims of Orlando, written by Justin Tranter, Julia
Michaels and Blood Pop, benefited Equality Florida,
the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida and
GLAAD. In 2017, Spears was among 140 leading
entertainers including Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana
Grande, Laverne Cox, and Whoopi Goldberg to speak
out in an open
letter against two anti-LGBTQ bills, which
targeted transgender youth in Texas and were later
defeated. Most recently, Spears sparked global
attention when she wore a t-shirt stating ‘We Are
All Dreamers’ and called on Congress to pass the
Dream Act via Instagram.
Spears also has a legacy of deeply
embracing her LGBTQ fans. She wrote a highly
publicized letter to a young gay man who considered
suicide, but credited her music and lyrics with
giving him the courage to come out and be true to
himself. She wrote to him: “I was very happy to hear
how courageous you’ve been about being openly gay.
I’ve always been told as long as you know in your
heart that’s what matters most.” After a gay couple
who met at the opening of “Britney: Piece of Me”
married, she surprised them with a touching video to
send congratulations and show her support for
marriage equality. Most recently, for LGBTQ Pride
Month in 2017, Spears penned a heartwarming
love letter to the LGBTQ community on Billboard
Pride in which she shared that the community’s
unwavering loyalty and acceptance uplift and inspire
her. “I have a secret to share with you. You see
it’s actually you that lifts me up. The unwavering
loyalty. The lack of judgment. The unapologetic
truth. Acceptance! Your stories are what inspire me,
bring me joy, and make me and my sons strive to be
better people.”
“An irrefutable icon, Britney Spears
has entertained the world while also embodying the
spirit of GLAAD’s Vanguard Award by speaking out on
significant issues that face her fans – from the
Dream Act to anti-transgender bills in Texas,” said
Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “She
is a force in the music world who has used her
global platform to share messages of love and
acceptance, something that the world needs today
more than ever.”
In January,
GLAAD announced 125 nominees in 21 English-language
categories and 16 Spanish-language nominees in 4
categories. The nominees for the 29th Annual
GLAAD Media Awards were announced during the
Sundance Film Festival by actors Wilson Cruz (“13
Reasons Why,” “Star Trek: Discovery”) and Trace
Lysette (“Transparent”). Nominees across
entertainment and news media included This Is Us, Call
Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Battle of
the Sexes, A Fantastic Woman, Billions, The
Voice, Will & Grace, Andi Mack,
Halsey, Kesha, Kehlani, Teen Vogue, The
Daily Show with Trevor Noah, NBC Nightly News,
HuffPost, and CNN en Español. 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/mediawards/nominees
Additional special guests and
honorees from the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles
will be announced in the coming weeks.
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 5 at the New
York Hilton Midtown.
The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards
corporate partners include Presenting Partners Delta
Air Lines, Ketel One Vodka, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD
is also grateful to: Official Partner Bud Light;
Platinum Partners Allstate Insurance Company, AT&T,
Disney ABC Television Group, Hyundai, MetLife,
Omnicom Group, Southwest Airlines, and Turner. 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.
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