On Saturday (Could 11), there was just one present on planet Earth that would boast extra queer vitality than the Eurovision Music Contest, and that was the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards in New York Metropolis on the Midtown Hilton Resort.

And never not like this 12 months’s Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden, the occasion was not with out protestors. A small group of protestors accusing Israel of genocide towards the Palestinian individuals picketed exterior the lodge’s entrance throughout the thirty fifth annual GLAAD Media Awards; extra notably, on the prime of the present itself, one attendee interrupted the opening monologue by host Ross Mathews to repeatedly declare “GLAAD is complicit in genocide” earlier than being escorted out.

“That was uncomfy for everyone,” Mathews stated after a pause. “However you recognize what? We’ve got to battle for everybody’s rights – and that’s considered one of them.”

Whereas the Israel-Hamas Struggle didn’t come up once more that evening, politics had been nonetheless central to the GLAAD Media Awards, as at all times. New York Lawyer Common Letitia James made an look to have a good time LGBTQ New Yorkers and communicate out for trans rights; GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis urged attendees to make use of their “platform and privilege” to make sure that the subsequent U.S. president will likely be a human who values LGBTQ rights — and warned that the Supreme Courtroom “will roll again our authorized marriages like they rolled again Roe v. Wade” in a robust, fiery speech; and one very well-known Oscar winner took a few hilarious pot pictures at a former U.S. vice chairman throughout the present.

Jennifer Lawrence (rocking a Veronica Lake haircut) appeared to have a good time “my favourite musician and good good friend Orville Peck,” who was receiving the Vito Russo Award (named after the late activist and writer of The Celluloid Closet) on the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards.

“I like seeing so many people who can prime their discipline whereas nonetheless being energy bottoms,” Lawrence cracked. Speaking about her love for the homosexual neighborhood, Lawrence stated she as soon as fell in love with a homosexual man, however quickly realized her advances had been for naught. “Conversion remedy doesn’t work,” she stated. “Did you hear me, Mike Pence? I stated conversion remedy shouldn’t be actual – regardless that you assume it labored on you.”

Accepting the award, Peck talked about being a singer-songwriter in a style that’s not at all times been probably the most open to the LGBTQ neighborhood. “I’m considered one of many people right here who’ve felt excluded or held again due to who we’re,” Peck stated, including that queer individuals however handle to “flip tragedy into artwork, humor and tradition.”

Peck additionally spoke on the “duty for visibility” in the case of all minority communities and what it means to the subsequent technology “to permit some child in a small city who loves nation music to see themselves in me or Mickey Guyton or T.J. Osborne.”

Earlier within the evening, Jennifer Hudson – who already has an EGOT – added one other award to her trophy room when she hit the stage to simply accept the GLAAD for excellent selection or discuss present episode, for an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Present during which she shocked HIV activist Ian Haddock (of the Regular Anomaly Initiative) with $10,000.

After a fundraising portion that raised greater than $350,000, Loren Allred took the stage to carry out an emotional model of “By no means Sufficient” from The Best Showman, in addition to the upbeat “Come Alive.” The latter was a duet, with Scott Hoying (of Pentatonix and Superfruit) becoming a member of her on the flippantly funky vocal showcase.

Towards the top of the evening, Billboard (and Billboard‘s Pleasure Editor Stephen Daw) had been honored when GLAAD named Billboard‘s 2023 Pleasure Challenge cowl story the excellent print article of the 12 months. The (now award-winning) article, written by Daw, is a wide-ranging, in-depth interview with Maren Morris and 4 drag artists in regards to the proliferation of drag bans in the US. You’ll be able to learn it right here.