Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo to be honoured by GLAAD for ‘raising visibility’ of queer performers
Cynthia Erivo. (Tim P. Whitby/Getty)
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo is set to be honoured by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) for “raising visibility” of queer performers.
Erivo, who made her TV debut in Channel 4’s Chewing Gum, first spoke about her sexuality as a “queer woman of colour” in an interview with British Vogue in 2022, and will be presented with the Stephen F Kolzak Award at next month’s ceremony.
The award honours out LGBTQ+ media professionals who raise the visibility of queer individuals and promote acceptance of queer people and issues. The award is named after a Los Angeles casting director who worked to tackle homophobia and the perception of Aids within the entertainment industry. He died in 1990, aged 37.
Past winners include comedian and actress Wanda Sykes, actress Laverne Cox, and Ellen DeGeneres. Chaz Bono became the first trans person to be honoured, in 2012.
‘She continues to shatter glass ceilings’
GLAAD president and chief Sarah Kate Ellis said: “Her legacy is defined not by her numerous accolades and honours but by how, with each new platform and milestone, she continues to show up for Black, queer and other marginalised peoples.
“As she continues to shatter glass ceilings, I am certain her commitment to showing up as the intersectional and authentic person she is, will never falter, and it is a privilege to present her with the Stephen F Kolzak Award at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.”
Erivo, who won a Tony Award in 2016 for The Color Purple, is in a relationship with actress, producer and screenwriter Lena Waithe.
The GLAAD Media Awards are due take place in Los Angeles on 27 March.
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