69 Photos Celebrating the Star-Studded GLAAD Media Awards in NYC

A Starry Night at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City

Hosts and honorees at the GLAAD Media Awards in NYC

Political leaders joined stars of film and TV at the GLAAD Media Awards ceremony last Saturday at the Hilton Midtown in New York City. The awards, which honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ+ people and issues, are presented annually at ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. (At the L.A. event, held in March, The Advocate received the award for Outstanding Magazine - Overall Coverage.) The New York event included appearances by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, state Reps. Zooey Zephyr of Montana and Mauree Turner of Oklahoma, actor Joel Kim Booster and the cast of Fire Island, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Van Ness, Maren Morris, Bowen Yang, Bob the Drag Queen, and many more. Harvey Guillén hosted the evening. Scroll on for pictures of the ceremony and info about the award winners. You can also find a full list of winners here.

From left: Harvey Guillén, Karine Jean-Pierre, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, Joel Kim Booster and the Fire Island cast

Karine Jean-Pierre

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When longtime political activist Karine Jean-Pierre became White House press secretary last year, she made history in three ways as the first out LGBTQ+ person (she's a lesbian), first Black person, and first immigrant to hold the job. Her tenure has been marked by great outspokenness on behalf of marginalized people. She demonstrated that on the GLAAD Media Awards stage as well. She shared words of love to trans youth, the same words she said she imparts to her 8-year-old about challenging situations.

“You have one job and one job only: it’s to be a good person, to be kind, and to never let anyone tell you who you are or who you can be. To every trans person out there: No one should have to be brave to be themselves. You are perfect just the way you are. You are loved. And we have your back. I want the same for you that I want for my daughter — to dream big, and to never, ever let anyone tell you who you are.”

She also expressed support for the film and TV writers on strike, saying, “I sincerely hope the writers’ strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible. This is an iconic, meaningful American industry. And we need the writers and all the workers and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation and the stories of all of us.”

Former editor-in-chief of The Advocate and current host and vice president of entertainment for The Advocate's parent company equalpride, Tracy E. Gilchrist was nominated for an interview with Jean-Pierre.

Jean-Pierre presented the Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media to the Washington Blade and Los Angeles Blade. "Representation matters," she said, noting that the Blade is the only queer media outlet in the White House press corps.

Mauree Turner and Zooey Zephyr

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State Reps. Mauree Turner (left) of Oklahoma and Zooey Zephyr of Montana both faced backlash this year for speaking out for transgender rights.

Turner is the first out nonbinary person elected to any state legislature. This year they were censured by their colleagues for letting a protester take shelter in their office as lawmakers considered a ban on gender-affirming health care for trans youth, which eventually passed. Turner spoke out about their experiences during the GLAAD ceremony.

“I am the culmination of the things bigots hate the most: a queer Black nonbinary Muslim elected official. What they say is: you don’t get access to the same Oklahoma as the rest of us because I don’t like you. And what I say is: Leave your homegrown bigotry at home. I was lucky to have a mother who said I see you, I will always advocate for you. But even with that support I didn’t think I was going to make it through middle school, let alone high school. Now it’s the same bullies with different tactics. But I did not give up when I was 12 or 15, and I’m not going to give up now. I want trans youth, trans youth of color, and all youth to hear this: I know how heavy and scary it is right now. I’ve been there.”

Zephyr is the first trans state legislator in Montana. She was booted from the House floor in the last days of this year's session after she said those who voted for a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth would have blood on their hands. Zephyr persevered, working from a hallway. At the GLAAD ceremony, she said, “Trans people have always been here and we always will be. And not just our lives, but our resilience, our joy, and our love is forever. You cannot legislate trans people out of existence any more than you can legislate away joy and love. If we root ourselves in that love and root ourselves in community, we are sure to win. We already are.”

Turner, Erin Reed, and Zephyr

Mauree Turner, Erin Reed, and Zooey Zephyr

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Turner and Zephyr also introduced GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. Ellis welcomed Rep. Zephyr’s fiancée, Erin Reed, to the stage to congratulate the couple on their recent engagement. Reed is a notable trans legislative researcher, content creator and activist.

Harvey Guillén

$Harvey Guill\u00e9n$

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Harvey Guillén, star of What We Do in the Shadows, was the evening's host. He sported a Christian Siriano ensemble that made use of a butterfly motif. Guillén has talked about being called the Spanish word for butterfly as an antigay slur when he was a child, so now he's reclaiming butterflies (and queerness) as something beautiful. He rocked several other fabulous looks during the event.

Jonathan Van Ness

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Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye accepted GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award, presented annually to an out media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance. Van Ness is the first nonbinary recipient to receive that honor. In accepting the award, presented by Alok Vaid-Menon, Van Ness said, “We need to proudly say we are pro-queer, pro-trans, pro-Black pro-abortion rights, pro-immigration, we are pro-human!” Van Ness pointed out that queer people are not a threat, and "poverty, lack of education, lack of health care, white nationalism, and the out of control gun lobby are the real threats we must be focusing on today." Van Ness said they are from a family of broadcasters, and "journalism, facts, and freedom of expression are as much passions of mine as figure skating, gymnastics, or fashion."

Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Maren Morris, and Alyssa Edwards

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Maren Morris received GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award, given to an ally who has made a significant difference in promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance. Morris, who was introduced by drag superstars Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Alyssa Edwards, is the first country music performer to win that honor. “I want my fellow country music artists to understand that inclusivity is not only the right thing, but it’s also good for business,” she said in accepting the award.

Last year, Morris sold T-shirts bearing the words "Lunatic Country Music Person" and the phone number for Trans Lifeline, with proceeds being divided between the lifeline and GLAAD's Transgender Media Program. She was called a "lunatic country music person" by Tucker Carlson, then a host on Fox News, for speaking out against transphobia. She referenced the matter in her acceptance speech. “Maybe I felt a little badass taking Tucker Carlson’s calling me a lunatic for standing up to transphobia, turning it into a T-shirt and raising $150,000 for LGBTQ+ charities, yeah,” she said. “That made me feel a little cool, but I don’t want to gloat. I would never insult the recently unemployed.”

Joel Kim Booster

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Joel Kim Booster wrote and starred in Fire Island, which won an award for Outstanding Film—Streaming/TV. Anything'sPossible also received an award in that category.

Frankie Grande and Raquel Willis

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Raquel Willis and the Logo Trans Youth Town Hall won for Outstanding Online Journalism—Video or Multimedia for bringing forward the voices of trans youth.

Idina Menzel

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Broadway, film, and TV star Idina Menzel performed the global debut of her pop track “Move” from her upcoming dance album, Drama Queen (releasing August 18), and reprised her signature Wicked hit song, “Defying Gravity.”

Imara Jones

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In a new award category, Outstanding Podcast, honorees were TransLash Podcast With Imara Jones (TransLash Media) and Sibling Rivalry (Studio71).

Ross Mathews and Wellinthon Garcia

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Sean Coleman (right) and friend

Tamron Hall and Frankie Grande

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Tamron Hall and Frankie Grande

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Raquel Willis with Tamron Hall and Frankie Grande

Harvey Guillén and Trixie Mattel

$Harvey Guill\u00e9n and Trixie Mattel$

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Harvey Guillén and Trixie Mattel

$Harvey Guill\u00e9n and Trixie Mattel$

69 Photos Celebrating the Star-Studded GLAAD Media Awards in NYC