The US-based organization GLAAD, which advocates for queer people in the media, held its 37th annual awards ceremony on Thursday. More than 300 nominations across more than 30 categories were considered, spanning film and TV, journalism, and even video games. The gala in Los Angeles was hosted by actor Jonathan Bennett.
The Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar- and Tony-winning icon Liza Minnelli surprised attendees shortly before her 80th birthday and received the first Liza Minnelli Storyteller Award, named in her honor, to accompany her forthcoming memoir “Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!” Minnelli took the stage, surrounded by dancers and greeted by thunderous applause, after a lengthy, RuPaul-narrated glimpse into her life. “I’m so glad to be here with all of you,” Minnelli herself said. “You make me so proud because you are strong and stand up for what you believe in.”
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Other performances included Demi Lovato, who opened the show with a performance of their hit “Kiss,” and Eli with “Glitter.” The Vanguard Award, given to individuals who have significantly contributed to equality and acceptance for queer people, went to actress, producer, author, and showrunner Quinta Brunson. Her comedy series “Abbott Elementary” was also nominated in this category, but was bested by Apple TV+’s “Palm Royale.”
Main Prizes
The award for Best Drama Series went to “Stranger Things” this year, clearly driven by Will Byers’ coming-out storyline in the final season — its star Noah Schnapp accepted the award. A definite crowd favorite was named Best New Series: “Heated Rivalry.” The creator and director of the TV adaptation of Rachel Reid’s book series, Jacob Tierney, accepted the prize along with nearly all the lead cast. The series about gay desire in professional hockey became a worldwide hit and resonated with straight audiences as well.
As Best Short-Form Series, the Netflix show “Wayward” was honored, while the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” about the poet and activist Andrea Gibson, who is also Oscar-nominated, received recognition. In film, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was named Outstanding Film; in the Limited Theatrical Release category, “A Nice Indian Boy” and “Plainclothes” were jointly honored. The award for Best TV/Streaming Film went to Netflix’s “Queen of Coal.”
Gala under the Trump Administration
The Stephen F. Kolzak Award, given to queer people who stand up to anti-queer hostility, went to Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”) and Matt Rogers, who co-host the podcast “Las Culturistas.” They announced a donation of $10,000 to Equality Kansas — the Republican-led state recently invalidated all driver’s licenses of transgender people that did not reflect their birth sex. “We cannot accept this award without condemning the rampant, active transphobia of this government and its supporters,” Rogers said. “And we are here to make clear in advance that they are waging a losing battle. Because when we come together in spaces like this, we always stand up for one another.”
The ongoing culture wars, and specifically the attacks on the rights and existence of transgender people, figured prominently in many of the evening’s speeches; trans actress Laverne Cox, who received an award for a TV piece on the topic, said: “Nothing happening here should be normalized. Experts say we are heading toward a genocide of transgender Americans.”
The ceremony will, however, be available to watch on Hulu in the U.S. starting March 21. A list of all nominations and awards, including Spanish-language categories, can be found here.
