By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Wicked” actor Cynthia Erivo received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, which is awarded to an LGBTQ+ media professional who has raised visibility and acceptance for the community.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which is “a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy,” will stream the awards ceremony on Hulu on April 12.
“I have spoken about being your whole self and your true self. I speak about the prizes that come from being you against odds,” Erivo said during her acceptance speech.
“But rarely do I acknowledge how hard it can be. So I thought that I would make some room for those of us who are trying to find more courage to exist as we want, because I think this is the space to do that,” she added.
The Oscar-nominated and Emmy, Grammy and Tony award-winning actor is best known for her lead role as Elphaba Thropp in the 2024 Universal musical film “Wicked,” which is based on both the hit 2003 Broadway musical and 1995 novel of the same name.
The film has become the top-grossing stage musical adaptation, surpassing Universal’s own “Mamma Mia!”.
Erivo is slated to host the 2025 Tony Awards in June.
At Thursday’s ceremony, she acknowledged that some in the LGBTQ+ community had encountered more obstacles than others.
“For some, the road has not been paved with yellow bricks and instead, paved with glass and potholes,” the 38-year-old said, using imagery from the films “The Wizard of Oz” and “Wicked.”
The Stephen F. Kolzak award is named in honor of the late Los Angeles casting director who was dedicated to fighting homophobia and HIV stigma within the entertainment industry.
Among previous winners of the award are Niecy Nash-Betts, Jeremy Pope and Laverne Cox.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Rachna Uppal)
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