In accepting an award this weekend,
Jonathan Van Ness called out politicians opposed to LGBTQ rights.
On Saturday, Van Ness, the grooming
expert on Netflix's Queer Eye, was honored with GLAAD's Vito
Russo Award at the 34th annual GLADD Media Awards in New
York. The award goes to an openly LGBTQ media professional who has
made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance.
In presenting the award, ALOK, a
non-binary activist, praised Van Ness for their activism.
“The thing about Jonathan Van Ness is
you’ll be in a deep conversation about something serious like
electoral politics and LGBTQ activism and he’ll stop mid-sentence
and give that illustrious expression that makes even emojis envious
and then proceed to lovingly encourage you to deep condition your
hair more often,” ALOK said.
In their speech, Van Ness noted the
increasing number of anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced in statehouses
around the nation.
“If you have not noticed, we are in
the midst of an attack on LGBTQIA freedom,” they said. “This year
alone, we have faced over 540 anti-LGBTQ+ state bills… I am not
willing to sit on the sidelines as these grown bullies attempt to
erase our community.”
“These lawmakers claim to protect
children from 'drag queens' and ban books, but we can’t allow
ourselves to be the distraction that conservative media focuses
everyone on. Queer people are not a threat.”
“Poverty, lack of education, lack of
healthcare, corporate greed, white nationalism and an out-of-control
gun lobby is the real threat we are all facing today,” they added.