Oprah Winfrey, Niecy Nash-Betts honored at 35th annual GLAAD media awards

The GLAAD Media Awards returned to Los Angeles on Thursday.

Oprah Winfrey, Niecy Nash-Betts and more were honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday, celebrating LGBTQ+ representation in media over the past year and beyond.

Stars descended upon the Beverly Hilton on Thursday for the GLAAD Media Awards, which has honored “media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues” since 1990. One of the biggest honorees of the night, Winfrey, took to the stage and gave a powerful and moving speech to the audience, emotionally honoring her brother Jeffrey Lee, who passed away from AIDS 35 years ago.

“Growing up at the time we did, in the community we did, we didn’t have the language to understand or speak about sexuality and gender in the way we do now,” she explained while accepting the Vanguard Award. “And at the time, I didn’t know how deeply my brother internalized the shame that he felt about being gay. I wish he could have lived to witness these liberated times and to be here with me tonight.“

She went on to recall how she used her platform throughout her career, specifically on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” to educate and shed light on the lives of the LGBTQ+ community in this country.

“What I know for sure is that when we can see one another, when we are open to supporting the truth of a fellow human,” she concluded. “It makes for a full, rich, vibrant life for us all. And that’s what I wish my brother Jeffrey could have experienced, a world that could see him for who he was and appreciate him for what he brought to this world. I am proud to receive this honor.”

Nash-Betts opened up about her journey with her sexuality when accepting the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, saying, “If I’m honest, I never saw this life for myself. I was always an ally, but now I am a card-carrying member!”

She went on to say that she is often asked what it was like for her to come out, to which she responds, “‘Came out of where, baby’? I was never anywhere to come out of! I didn’t live a sexually repressed life. I mean, I loved boys, until I didn’t! I loved them until I encountered the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met.”

She concluded by thanking everyone for holding space for her until she “figures her terms out.” She added, “What I do know for sure is that my name is Niecy Nash-Betts and I’m a lover. I will never hide the very thing I was created for.”

Other big winners of the night include “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which won Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. The acclaimed Showtime series “Yellowjackets” won Outstanding Drama Series, while the Ayo Edebiri-starring teen film “Bottoms” took home Outstanding Film – Wide Theatrical Release.

Read more about GLAAD and the media awards, including more winners of the night, here.

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