Singer Taylor Swift and transgender
activist-writer Janet Mock will be honored for their LGBT activism at
the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles in April.
Swift will be presented with the
group's Vanguard Award during its April 16 ceremony at the Beverly
Hilton. The award is given to a celebrity who has made a significant
difference in promoting LGBT equality.
Previous recipients include Beyoncé
and JAY-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Kerry Washington, Cher,
Janet Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Antonio Banderas, Demi Lovato,
Whoopi Goldberg, and Patricia Arquette.
“From boldly standing up against
anti-LGBTQ elected officials to shining attention on the urgent need
to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination through the Equality Act,
Taylor Swift proudly uses her unique ability to influence pop culture
to promote LGBTQ acceptance,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah
Kate Ellis. “In a time of political and cultural division, Taylor
creates music that unites and calls on her massive fan following to
speak up and call for change.”
(Related: Taylor
Swift says conversation with Todrick Hall led to her LGBT activism.)
GLAAD will honor Mock with its Stephen
K. Kolzak Award. The award is presented to an LGBT media professional
who has made a significant difference in promoting LGBT rights.
Previous Stephen F. Kolzak honorees
include Laverne Cox, Jim Parsons, Ellen DeGeneres, Troye Sivan, Ruby
Rose, Chaz Bono, Wanda Sykes, Steve Warren, Melissa Etheridge, and
Sir Ian McKellen.
Mock is best known for her work writing
and producing the FX series Pose, which includes a largely
transgender and gay cast.
“Janet Mock is a trailblazing force
for diverse and inclusive storytelling who has raised the bar for
LGBTQ representation in Hollywood,” said GLAAD President and CEO
Sarah Kate Ellis. “She tells stories that need to be told,
including those of transgender people and people of color, in
revolutionary and eye-opening ways that inspire and enrich. Her
passion for inclusive storytelling, combined with her undeniable
talents in writing, directing, and producing, will continue to create
a Hollywood where voices and stories that have been left out of the
conversation are placed front and center where they belong.”
(Related: Janet
Mock makes TV history with Pose.)