Watch Beyoncé and Jay-Z's powerful speech at the GLAAD Media Awards
America's foremost power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z were presented with the Vanguard Award at Thursday night's GLAAD Media Awards, where they delivered a powerful joint speech.
When GLAAD announced the award earlier this month, there was some confusion about why the two were being honored despite not being members of the LGBTQ community. However, the Vanguard Award is generally given to a public figure who does not necessarily identify as LGBTQ, but who has, according to GLAAD, "made a big difference in promoting equality and acceptance of LGBTQ people." (In 2018, for example, Britney Spears was honored.)
In a moment that understandably delighted people on Twitter, Beyoncé first called out drag queen Shangela, who performed a Beyoncé-themed medley earlier in the night (and got a standing ovation.) "I put a run in my stocking from Shangela," she said right after taking the stage.
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Soon after, she also made an extremely good "Formation" reference. "To choose who you love is your human right, how you identify and see yourself is your human right. Who you make love to and take that ass to Red Lobster is your human right," she said. (That sound you hear is every single Beyoncé fan screaming with joy.)
Both Bey and Jay dedicated the award to family members. Jay-Z thanked his mother, Gloria Carter, who publicly came out in 2017 on her son's album 4:44. (She received a Special Recognition Award from GLAAD at last year's ceremony.) "I get to follow in her footsteps of spreading love and acceptance," he said.
In what was perhaps the speech's most emotional moment, Beyoncé spoke about her late uncle, who lived with HIV. "I want to dedicate this award to my Uncle Johnny, the most fabulous gay man I ever knew," she said. "He lived his truth. He was brave and unapologetic during a time when this country wasn't as accepting ... I'm hopeful that his struggles served to open pathways for other young people to live more freely."
You can watch selections from the speech below.
Topics Activism Social Good Celebrities
Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
