Photo Courtesy of Instagram/@Beyonce

GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced that it will honor Beyoncé and JAY-Z together with the Vanguard Award for their LGBTQ allyship at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

The 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Events will be held in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 28 and in New York City on Saturday, May 4.

Beyoncé and JAY-Z will receive GLAAD’s Vanguard Award, which is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people. Previous Vanguard Award honorees include Jennifer Lopez, Kerry Washington, Cher, Janet Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Antonio Banderas, Demi Lovato, Whoopi Goldberg, Eric McCormack, and Britney Spears.

Beyoncé and JAY-Z are longtime allies and supporters of the LGBTQ community who use their global platforms to share messages that inspire and change the world for the better.

Beyoncé has spoken out against laws that would discriminate against LGBTQ people in states including North Carolina and celebrated the passage of marriage equality nationwide, saying that “everyone has the right to love who they love.” She has spoken out loudly for LGBTQ youth and told her followers on social media that “LGBTQ students need to know we support them.” Beyoncé has included LGBTQ people and couples in videos for ‘Formation’ and ‘All Night’ and dedicated her performance of ‘Halo’ to the victims and survivors of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting during “The Formation World Tour.” Ivy Park, her athleisure clothing line, proudly showcased transgender actress Laverne Cox as one of the featured faces in one of the brand’s promos.

JAY-Z received a GLAAD Special Recognition Award last year for his song and music video, “Smile,” featuring his mother Gloria Carter who used the song to come out as a lesbian. The lyrics and video poignantly share the powerful story of Ms. Gloria Carter, who accepted the GLAAD Media Award from journalist Robin Roberts. JAY-Z has featured LGBTQ people in his art including an appearance by LGBTQ leader Janet Mock in the video for ‘Family Feud,’ which opens with a quote from iconic gay writer James Baldwin. JAY-Z also famously supported the passage of marriage equality, noting it was “the right thing to do as a human being.”

“Beyoncé and JAY-Z are global icons and passionate defenders of human rights and acceptance for all people,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “When Beyoncé and JAY-Z speak, the world becomes inspired and when it comes to LGBTQ people, their voices of acceptance have been heard loud and clear. We could not be prouder to stand with them to send a message of love during the biggest LGBTQ event in the world and to honor their work to bend the arc of justice forward for LGBTQ people, people of color, and marginalized communities everywhere.”

GLAAD previously announced that Sean Hayes will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award during the Los Angeles event. Ross Mathews will host the event and special guests will include the cast of Netflix’s Queer Eye, Allison Janney (Mom, I, Tonya), Nico Santos (Superstore, Crazy Rich Asians), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), Shangela (A Star is Born, RuPaul’s Drag Race) and Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons.

GLAAD previously announced 151 nominees for the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 27 categories, including an inaugural category for Outstanding Video Game, along with Kids & Family Programming, Comedy and Drama Series, Documentary, Reality Series, Music Artist, Comic Book, print, broadcast, and online news, and five Spanish-language categories. For the first time ever, the GLAAD Media Awards’ Outstanding Film – Limited Release category expanded from five to ten nominees as a result of a welcomed increase in fair, accurate, and inclusive LGBTQ images in film.

Nominees include Pose, Love Simon, Crazy Rich Asians, Will & Grace, The Favourite, Schitt’s Creek, The Handmaid’s Tale, Nanette, Janelle Monáe, Hayley Kiyoko, Troye Sivan, American Idol, RuPaul’s Drag Race, She-Ra, Law & Order: SVU, Don Lemon, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Univision, MSNBC, Ebony, GQ, CNN, and The New York Times.

A tip sheet with additional breakdown of diversity as well as other facts and figures about this year’s nominees is available at: www.glaad.org/releases

The 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are supported by Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Hyundai, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Partners Bud Light and Google; Titanium Partner AT&T and WEN; Platinum Partners Comcast NBCUniversal-Telemundo, Creative Artists Agency, Disney ABC Television Group, HBO, Hulu, Kaiser Permanente, MetLife, NBA & WNBA, Netflix, Omnicom Group, PRG, Turner; Gold Partners CBS/Showtime, Nielsen, PWC, UM, Univision, and VER; and Silver Partners Allstate, Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Warner Bros.

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Quincy Thomas

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