Christopher Wiggins wins GLAAD award for Advocate cover story on Sarah McBride

Christopher Wiggins, politics and news editor for The Advocate, has earned the 2026 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Online or Print Journalism Article for his profile of Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first out trans member of Congress.

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“Giving people the chance to see her as a full person, and through her to better understand trans people more broadly, is what this work at The Advocate is about,” Wiggins said. “I'm deeply honored that GLAAD recognized the importance of telling that story.”

GLAAD is the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, and announced the winners of its 37th Annual Media Awards Thursday night. The star-studded Los Angeles gala, attended by a who’s who of LGBTQ+ people in entertainment and media, was headlined by singer Demi Lovato and hosted by actor Jonathan Bennett.

Wiggins’s award-winning piece was titled: “As the first out trans person in Congress, Sarah McBride is ready to fight for us.” The story covered McBride’s trailblazing journey from the Delaware state Senate to becoming one of the most prominent figures in the U.S. Capitol, including her legislative ambitions and her life outside of politics.

“Congresswoman McBride trusted me with her story at one of the most consequential moments in her life,” Wiggins said. “What I hoped readers would see is that, while her being trans is historically significant, it’s also one of the least interesting things about her. She’s a legislator, a strategist, and a deeply thoughtful public servant. But she’s also an everyday person who loves her Wawa coffee, Legos, and The Traitors.”

McBride told The Advocate that the piece exemplified the strength of Wiggins as “a world-class journalist,” capable of capturing “both the moment and the humanity behind it.”

“He perfectly encapsulated my first months in Congress and the values that guide my work for Delawareans,” she said. “While his writing is exceptional, the only thing better than his talent as a journalist is the kindness and generosity of spirit he brings to the people and stories he covers.”

The Advocate is no newcomer to GLAAD’s annual awards that celebrate excellence in music, television, and journalism. The magazine won awards for overall coverage in 2025, 2023, 2022, and 2020, plus Outstanding Print Article in 2021.

Award-winning broadcaster Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor turned independent journalist who was indicted by the Trump administration for covering an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota, appeared onstage at the awards, as did MS NOW hosts Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels, who won for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment.

The Advocate and its sister publication, Out, were nominated for GLAAD’s 2026 award for Outstanding Overall Coverage from a magazine. That award went to People, which in 2025 named Jonathan Bailey the Sexiest Man Alive, making him the first out gay man to earn that title. Other winners included HBO’s smash-hit sports romance show Heated Rivalry, Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko, and LGBTQ+ newsroom Them, which equalpride, parent company of The Advocate, acquired last week.