Logo Airing GLAAD Media Awards, Ricky Martin Announced As Special Guest
Ricky Martin is set to shake his bon bon on the stage at this year's GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.
The Grammy-wining superstar has been announced as a special guest at the ceremony which will air exclusively on Logo, Wednesday, April 18.
“Ricky Martin is a true icon who has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community and is one of the most visible out entertainers in the world,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome another global legend on our stage at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles – it will truly be a night to remember.”
Martin most recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed FX series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, playing Versace's longtime lover, Antonio D’Amico. This will be Martin's first appearance at the ceremony since he was honored by GLAAD in 2011 for his work as a role model to the LGBT community.
In addition to Martin being honored, Olympics hottie Gus Kenworthy will attend, along with pop star Britney Spears who will receive the Vanguard Award at this year's event. The honor is given to media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance of LGBT people. Past recipients include Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Whoopi Goldberg, and Janet Jackson.
Spears and Martin will join other previously announced special guests Ryan Murphy, Halle Berry, Lena Waithe, Chloe Grace Moretz. The ceremony will be hosted by Wanda Sykes.
Aside from some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities, the event will shine a spotlight on activists like Tori Cooper, a trans woman from the South, who will speak, alongside Gilead's Douglas Brooks, about HIV in the trans community.
“The transgender community is more highly impacted by the HIV epidemic than any other group of people on the face of the earth," Cooper told NewNowNext. "In the South, the rate for black trans women is essentially one out of two."
"If HIV and LGBT organizations prioritized the 'T', then we would see a significant change in the dire circumstances in which we live. Make us a priority, and not merely an afterthought."
The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards is set to take place on April 12 in Los Angeles, and will air Wednesday, April 18 at 8/7c on Logo.