Following the Los Angeles ceremony in March, the 30th GLAAD Media Awards went to New York to continue honoring the celebrities, films, shows and media organizations that have made strides in supporting the LGBTQ+ community this past year. Popular singer Madonna was among the many artistes who were honoured at GLAAD Media Awards New York.
Drag superstar Shangela hosted the event, which presented Madonna with the Advocate for Change award and host Andy Cohen with the Vito Russo award, reports variety.com.
She gave an emotional speech. “Growing up I always felt like an outsider, like I didn’t fit in. It wasn’t because I didn’t shave under my armpits, I just didn’t fit in,” the 60-year-old said in her acceptance speech.
Madonna is the second person to receive the award. President Bill Clinton was awarded the honor in 2013. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize artists, journalists, media companies and others for fair and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives.
Madonna also honoured her other close friends who died. “After I lost my best friend and roommate Martin Burgoyne and then Keith Haring, happy birthday Keith, I decided to take up the bull horn and really fight back,” Madonna said,
Recently, the pop star performed the single “Medellin” from her upcoming 14th album “Madame X” with singer Maluma and five hologram-like avatars of herself at the Billboard Music Awards.
Cohen became the first openly gay late-night talk show host when his show “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” launched in 2009. Janelle Monae also won outstanding musical artist following the release of her Grammy-nominated album “Dirty Computer”.
Other winners included “Pose”, the drama with a mostly transgender cast; “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”; “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon”; “Boy Erased” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”.
