Britney Spears once thanked her LGBTQ fans for their “unwavering loyalty” and “unapologetic truth,” and now the community is about to give her an even bigger thank you in return.
The pop superstar will be honored with the Vanguard Award at the 29th annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 12 in Los Angeles. Each year, the award is bestowed on a media personality who has “made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance of LGBTQ people,” GLAAD officials said in a press release. Spears joins a number of A-list stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson and Demi Lovato, who have received the honor.
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said Spears “embodied the spirit of GLAAD’s Vanguard Award by speaking out on significant issues that face her fans ― from the Dream Act to anti-transgender bills in Texas.”
“She is a force in the music world who has used her global platform to share messages of love and acceptance, something that the world needs today more than ever,” she continued in a Tuesday post on the organization’s website.
Spears seemed elated by the news, tweeting:
Spears has stepped up her support of the LGBTQ community in recent years. In 2016, she joined Troye Sivan, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor and other artists in performing “Hands,” a song released by GLAAD in honor of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, which targeted the LGBTQ community.
She was also one of more than 140 stars to speak out against two anti-LGBTQ bills introduced, but later defeated, in Texas last year.
The singer, who will return to the concert stage on her Piece of Me Tour this summer, wrote a heartfelt “love letter” to her LGBTQ fanbase for Billboard in honor of Pride Month last June.
“Continuously throughout my career, you’ve always been so vocal about what a positive impact I’ve had on you ― that I’ve instilled joy, hope and love in you at times when there was none,” she wrote. “Your stories are what inspire me, bring me joy and make me and my sons strive to be better people.”
