Category Archives: Advocacy

Christina Aguilera to Headline NYC Pride’s Pride Island Event

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Christina Aguilera is heading to Pride Island.

The 42-year-old half-Ecuadorian American Grammy-winning singer will serve as the official headliner for this year’s NYC Pride Pride Island in New York.

Christina AguileraTaking place on Sunday, June 25, Pride Island will also feature sets from Guy Scheiman, Karina Kay and Mor Avrahmi throughout the event.

“I couldn’t be more excited to headline NYC Pride’s iconic Pride Island,” Aguilera said in a statement of the upcoming show. “I’m always ready to celebrate the strength and resilience of all the individual members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies by dedicating this performance to our combined power when we act and work in solidarity.”

This year’s Pride Island is also coming to a new home. After Kim Petras’ headlining set on Governor’s Island last year, 2023’s Pride Island will take place at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, a modern manufacturing campus in Brooklyn that also hosts cultural events.

Aguilera has a storied track record of support for the LGBTQ community. Earlier this year, GLAAD recognized Xtina as its 2023 advocate for change, honoring the artist as someone who “through [her] work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” In accepting the award, the five-time Grammy winner called on everyone listening “to raise our voices if we want to live in a world that is free of discrimination, hate and violence.”

Christina Aguilera will take to the Pride Island main stage on Sunday, June 25, at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Tickets to Pride Island are on sale now.

Bad Bunny to Receive Vanguard Award at GLAAD Media Awards

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Bad Bunny is being feted for his activism…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar, who recently won his third career Grammy, will be honored at the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards next month for advancing and supporting the LGBTQ community.

Bad BunnyBad Bunny — Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world last year — will receive the Vanguard Award for having made “a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.”

Bad Bunny’s advocacy and outspoken allyship for the LGBTQ community has reached millions around the world, using his craft to speak out for equality.

“Bad Bunny uses his role as one of the world’s most popular music artists to boldly shine a light on LGBTQ people and issues, including transgender equality and ending violence against trans women of color,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “By consistently advocating for our community, elevating our stories and demanding action from anti-LGBTQ leaders, Bad Bunny redefines the positive influence Latin music artists can have within the LGBTQ community, and has set an example for all artists.”

But El Conejo Malo isn’t the only Latino act set to be honored…

Five-time Grammy winner Christina Aguilera will receive the Advocate for Change Award for having “changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.”

Aguilera has used her platform to be a bold advocate for the LGBTQ community, advancing conversations around acceptance and more through music. “Christina Aguilera is a beloved icon who has inspired and shared messages of love for the LGBTQ community since the start of her music career,” Ellis said. “From using her voice to speak out against anti-LGBTQ legislation to creating songs and music videos that showcase LGBTQ love, Christina loudly and proudly raises the bar for what it means to be a LGBTQ ally today.”

The awards show will be handed during the March 30 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.

Here are GLAAD’s mini-bios of Bad Bunny & Aguilera:

Bad Bunny

Named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2022, with 8.3 billion streams globally, the three-time Grammy-winning artist, bringing his own voice to the forefront to help others see themselves in the world.

As he reimagines the Latin urban music genre, LGBTQ people and issues remain in the vanguards of equality and inclusion for him, especially those in Puerto Rico, where he was born. His live performances and music videos cast an array of voices, experiences and backgrounds, showcasing queer love and affection on full display. For his music video for “Yo Perreo Sola,” he dressed in drag, telling Rolling Stone, “I did it to show support to those who need it. I may not be gay, but I’m a human.”

In a performance for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the rapper paid homage to Alexa Negrón Luciano, a trans woman murdered in the city of Toa Baja, wearing a shirt in Spanish that read: “They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt.” In 2019, the artist also helped influence a movement to force former Puerto Rican Governor, Ricardo Rosselló, to step down from office, after being exposed for corruption and anti-LGBTQ attitudes.

Moving from sound booth to the big screen, Bad Bunny plans to executive produce the forthcoming Netflix adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel, They Both Die in the End, which features a queer Latinx storyline.

Previous GLAAD Vito Russo Award recipient Ricky Martin told Rolling Stone that Bad Bunny is an “icon for the Latin queer community.”

Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera, who has one of the most celebrated voices in history, has used her platform to be a bold advocate for the LGBTQ community, advancing conversations around LGBTQ acceptance and more, through music. Most recently, her impact on the LGBTQ community was realized after Club Q Colorado Springs shooting survivor, Michael Anderson, invoked her lyrics as he testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on LGBTQ violence. In 2002, Aguilera dedicated her single, “Beautiful,” to the LGBTQ community, with the line “words can’t bring us down” becoming a personal mantra for many queer people. The song brought a unique awareness and a sense of compassion in the face of hate, earning Aguilera a Special Recognition honor at the 14th GLAAD Media Awards. Last year, the seven-time Grammy-winner celebrated 20 years of “Beautiful” with a brand new music video, reminding people of the importance of accepting themselves for who they are.

A staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights and a visionary for representation, Aguilera raised over $500 million for HIV research with MAC Cosmetics in 2004, spoke out loudly against Proposition 8 in 2008 and brought trans dancers and drag artists into the limelight during the 2012 American Music Awards. Following the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Aguilera dedicated the song, “Change,” to those affected by the tragedy with proceeds from the song going to victims’ families. She later penned a “Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community” for Billboard in 2017. Her very own Pride collection was launched in 2021, to proudly support two nonprofit organizations: TransTech and TransLash. Using the power of music to build bridges and demand change, Aguilera has redefined what it means to be a true advocate for the LGBTQ community, creating spaces for queer voices and talent to be known and thrive: From performing alongside breakthrough LGBTQ artists like Anitta, Syd, Kim Petras, Chika and Michaela Jaé, to condemning anti-LGBTQ legislation like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

J Balvin Receives Latino Impact Award During United Nations Latino Impact Summit

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J Balvin is celebrating his international impact…

The 37-year-old Colombian superstar received the Latino Impact Award at the United Nations Latino Impact Summit for his work shining a light on mental health.

J BalvinBalvin was honored this week at the United Nations headquarters in New York City during the summit, which returned to an in-person format for the first time since the pandemic.

He was honored for raising awareness on mental health and wellness in the Latin community as well as for the launch of his mental wellness app, OYE.

Balvin is the creator, along with Mario Chamorro, Patrick Dowd and Isaac Lee, of the Spanish and English application that offers a space for people to transform their emotions into creative actions.

For this reason, it achieves “a balance between emotional health and physical health, through exercises that help release stress, fear, sadness and the burdens that each human being receives in their daily routines, to reconnect with their inner power. and create the life they want,” said the Public Foundation, which organizes the summit, in a statement.

Bad Bunny Releases 23-Minute Documentary-Style Music Video for His Political Track “El Apagón”

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Bad Bunny is highlighting the issues affecting his beloved Puerto Rico.

In his most recent music video — a nearly 23-minute long documentary for his blunt track “El Apagón” — the 28-year-old chart-topping Puerto Rican artist addresses blackouts and gentrification, among other topics, taking aim at the local government for their inaction when it comes to important social issues.

Bad Bunny“I hope people in PR can watch my video before the lights go out,” he posted on Instagram Stories on Friday, September 16, minutes after releasing the clip, which begins with the song’s intro powered by thumping beats while featuring locals singing along to his song.

Then, at the one-minute-mark, the song stops and in come news reports of blackouts that have now become the norm in Puerto Rico, impacting the daily lives of citizens — including children, who have to do their homework in the dark.

There are also reports about LUMA Energy, the company the Puerto Rican government hired to “modernize and maintain” the island’s power grid, and the little action they’ve taken to fix electricity issues. The Puerto Rican power grid has been in poor shape since Hurricane Maria struck in 2017, leaving the island’s energy infrastructure in bad shape. Bunny has criticized LUMA before, specifically during his concerts in Puerto Rico right before singing this track.

The video then goes back to the song, this time featuring a handful of people at a club having the time of their lives. Shortly after, the remainder of the short film is dedicated to gentrification and displacing Puerto Ricans are facing.

“They are displacing the native boricua from here,” a woman says sitting in front of a group of people who are figuring out where to go after they’ve been displaced from their own homes.

The documentary’s news reports are led by Puerto Rican journalist Bianca Graulau, who’s done significant reporting on these topics.

On Instagram, she posted: “What an honor for them to trust me to tell the stories of our community. Thank you to all of those that made this project a reality. And thank you, Bad Bunny, for sharing your platform and supporting independent journalism.”

 

The track is part of Bad Bunny’s Billboard 200-topping album, Un Verano Sin Ti, which currently hit its 10th nonconsecutive week at No. 1.

Rosalia to Perform at This Year’s Global Citizen Festival

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Rosalia is taking the global stage…

The 29-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter will take part in this year’s Global Citizen Festival, which is set for Saturday, September 24 with twin shows in New York City and Accra, Ghana.

RosaliaRosalia will be part of the U.S. leg alongside Metallica, Charlie Puth, Jonas Brothers, Måneskin, Mariah Carey and Mickey Guyton.

Other New York City performers include Angélique Kidjo and Billy Porter.

Bollywood star and Global Citizen ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas will host Global Citizen Festival: NYC, to be staged in Central Park.

For its 10th anniversary edition, Global Citizen expands its program with a show at Ghana’s Black Star Square, featuring performances by Usher, SZA, Stormzy, Gyakie, H.E.R., Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Tems, and Uncle Waffles.

That show will mark the 65th anniversary of Ghana’s independence and the 20th anniversary of the African Union.

The annual concert-with-a-cause will call on world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly and ahead of the G20 and COP27 this November to invest in the future, and to end global hunger.

The international advocacy organization and its supporters want to action, not words.

Among its list of requests, an investment of $600 million into the future of women and girls; close the annual $10 billion climate financing shortfall; $500 million to help African farmers respond to the global food crisis; and provide urgent relief from crushing debts to end extreme poverty.

The health crisis has pushed nearly 100 million more people into extreme poverty and is “reversing recent trends of shrinking inequality, leading to the loss of at least three years of progress,” reads a statement. “Without urgent action now this backsliding will only worsen.”

Also, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has “aggravated the situation further, with as many as 323 million people now facing acute hunger, and 1.2 billion people now live in nations experiencing a perfect storm of food, energy, and financial crises. If we don’t take action now, as many as 200 million more people may be plunged into extreme poverty by November.”

The 2022 Global Citizen Festival will be broadcast and streamed on ABC, ABC News Live, FX, Hulu, iHeartRadio, TimesLIVE, Twitter, YouTube, and more.

ABC will also broadcast a primetime special Global Citizen Festival: Take Action NOW, on Sunday, September 25 at 7:00 pm ET. Additional tune-in details will follow in the weeks ahead.

Tickets to the festivals are free and can be earned by downloading the Global Citizen app or visiting www.globalcitizen.org to participate in its campaigns.

For each “action” taken, users earn points that can be redeemed for tickets.

More performers and special guests will be announced in due course.

Lin-Manuel Miranda & His “Hamilton” Musical Team Up with Prizeo for Fundraising Campaign to Support Abortion Access

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is taking a stand for women’s reproductive rights…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, rapper, songwriter, playwright and filmmaker and his Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton are teaming up with Prizeo on Ham4Choice, a fundraising campaign to support organizations providing abortion access and other reproductive health services.

Lin-Manuel Miranda“We are devastated by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling eliminating the right to abortion which has been a right since 1973,” the production said in a statement. “In response, we are teaming up with organizations providing support, access and travel expenses to those seeking these services.”

The effort is part of the show’s larger Ham4Progress philanthropic platform, run by a collective of Hamilton cast members and staff.

Launched in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in June, the show — which has its own constitutional connection — said funds raised through Ham4Choice will support the Abortion Support Network, ARC Southeast, Ciocia Basia, Deeds Not Words, Planned Parenthood, Profamilias Puerto Rico, The Brigid Alliance, The National Network of Abortion Fund and The Tuscan Abortion Support Collective.

“We’re stronger when we work together,” the statement, which urged fans to support reproductive access and reproductive choice, continued. “We can stand up for every person’s right to make decisions about their own body and their own lives.”

Ham4Choice asks fans to donate funds — as little as $10 — from Aug. 9 to Sept. 22, which will automatically enter them for a chance to win a special Hamilton package. The grand prize winner and a guest will be flown out to Hamilton‘s opening night in Hamburg, Germany, where the musical will be performed in German in its first non-English translation.

While there, they’ll meet Miranda at an exclusive pre-show reception and attend the post-show celebration before being flown out, along with tickets and hotel accommodations, where they’ll get to watch and meet the casts in London and New York. Signed memorabilia will be given to the winner to help commemorate the experience.

Each donation serves as a single entry, with no limit on the number of donations, which can be made at Ham4Choice.com. The fundraiser is just the latest Ham4Progress initiative, the collective focused on highlighting social justice causes, serving as a gathering place for discussion and acting as a platform for progress and organizations the group wants to support.

Miranda has worked with Prizeo in the past on similar efforts, including a 2017 fundraising campaign for Planned Parenthood that gave winners tickets to the Broadway show.

Ricky Martin Partners with Lin-Manuel Miranda & Hispanic Federation to Launch Advance Change Together Initiative

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Ricky Martin is hoping to advance change in support of the LGBTQ+ community…

This week, the 50-year-old Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor has teamed up with Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Hispanic Federation have announced Advance Change Together (ACT), a new initiative to support Latinx-led LGBTQ+ organizations.

Ricky Martin“Mi gente, we are always more powerful together,” Martin said in a video shared on social media. “We must unite to fight against attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, and speak up for the most marginalized among us.”

According to a press release, the initiative “will empower and support organizations working on the frontlines to protect and serve LGBTQ+ Latinx communities.”

The announcement was made June 14 as Pride Month festivities continue and just days after the six-year remembrance of the 49 lives that were taken during the Pulse Club massacre in Orlando, Fla.

Sebastian Yatra Teams Up with Flor de Caña for Global Reforestation Campaign

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Sebastian Yatra is living one tree at a time…

Following a winter break in Nicaragua, the 27-year-old Colombian singer and songwriter has teamed up with the country’s award-winning rum Flor de Caña.

Sebastian Yatra“I joined @flordecana_es and their global reforestation campaign together with One Tree Planted,” Yatra expressed on Instagram this week, elaborating that the purpose is for a greener future for everyone.

“You can be part of this wonderful cause and be directly responsible for making our world greener, one tree at a time,” he added.

Camila Cabello to Be Honored During Variety’s “2022 Power of Women” Event

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Camila Cabello has the power…

The 25-year-old Cuban & Mexican singer and former Fifth Harmony member, who released her third solo studio album Familia earlier this month, will be among the honorees at Variety’s 2022 Power of Women: New York event.

Camila CabelloCabello is among a list of honorees that includes Drew Barrymore, Kim Cattrall, Queen Latifah, Amanda Seyfried and Venus Williams.

Cabello, a three-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum, and chart-topping singer/songwriter, is being honored for her work with the The Healing Justice Project.

In January 2021, Cabello and Movement Voter Fund launched the initiative to provide direct funding to provide culturally relevant mental health and wellness resources to youth activists and grassroots organizations working at the intersection of racial and economic justice, electoral organizing, and other movements that propel this country forward.

The in-person event will take place at The Glasshouse on May 5. Presented in partnership with Lifetime, the event gathers an intimate group of philanthropic women who have been selected as Variety’s honorees, as well as the most powerful women working in media and entertainment.

Each of the six honorees will be featured on the cover of Variety’s Power of Women issue, available May 4.

The issue will include the annual Women’s Impact Report, which highlights the top 50 women working in media and entertainment who made an impact this year on the industry.

Tanya Saracho Teams Up with America Ferrera & Gloria Calderón Kellett to Launch DEAR Hollywood to Bring Greater Representation of Latinx Voices

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There’s a new project near and DEAR to Tanya Saracho’s heart…

The Mexican-American actress, playwright, dramaturge and screenwriter has teamed up with America Ferrera and Gloria Calderón Kellett joined the Untitled Latinx Project and HARNESS that they respectively co-founded to create DEAR Hollywood.

Tanya Saracho

Saracho, Ferrera and Calderon Kellet, three of the most dynamic creators in Hollywood, brought together two of the most preeminent advocacy organizations to further advance Latinx representation and equity in the industry.

With the acronym standing for Demanding Equal Access and Representation, DEAR Hollywood aims to bring greater representation of Latinx voices, stories, talent and creativity on both sides of the camera and on set and in the corner offices in the film and TV industry.

Planting the flags of equity and education, and set for a soft launch this month, the newly minted organization today unveiled its self-declared, and what should be self-evident, “five pillars”:

  1. No stories about us without us
    2.Greenlight our projects
    3. Represent all aspects of our lives and culture
    4. Put a limit on repeating levels
    5. Hire us for non-Latinx projects

To reach those more than reasonable goals, the plan is that over the next year, DEAR Hollywood will liaison with at least five studios and networks, which means streamers too, to secure a commitment to the pillars above as a pathway to systemic and evolutionary shift in the way the industry sees, treats and works with the Latinx community. A varied community, who, it might be noted, make up a not insignificant portion of the U.S. population, and hence significant consumers of the media industry.

“The entertainment industry has admired the problem of Latinx exclusion for long enough,” Ferrera told Deadline of the impetus behind DEAR Hollywood with the Vida and One Day At a Time EPs. “It is time for all of us to turn our good intentions into real action and build true solutions that empower and resource Latinx storytellers,” the Superstore star added on the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

A long-time activist, Ferrera co-founded HARNESS in 2016 with Wilmer Valderrama, and Ryan Piers Williams with the goal of using the power and platform of the big and small screen to foster a more just world.

“The rich talent and multi-dimensional experiences within our community are more than worthy of being reflected in their authenticity and full humanity,” Ferrera noted of the goals of the new group. “There is great opportunity for our entire industry in the genuine empowerment of Latinx creators. I am thrilled and honored that Harness is partnering with Untitled Latinx Project to incubate and launch this incredible creator-led initiative to uplift Latinx communities in the stories we see on screen and hire more Latinx talent throughout the entire film and TV industry.”

“It has been one year since we wrote the letter to Hollywood to kick off this initiative and frankly, we haven’t seen the type of response we had hoped for,” exclaimed ULP leaders Saracho and Calderón Kellett bluntly Friday.

“While announcements of diversity, inclusion and equity programs abound, without intentionality and clearly defined action steps, they have little value,” the showrunning duo added. “We are thrilled to work with Harness and eager to collaborate with industry leaders and partners, so we can all move the needle towards Latine inclusion and representation together.”

As well as Saracho and Calderón Kellett, the 2019 formed ULP’s high profile membership includes Leah Benavides-Rodriguez, Tawnya Benavides-Bhattacharya, Linda Yvette Chávez, Valentina Garza, Jenniffer Gómez, Julia Ahumada Grob, Silvia Olivas, Evangeline Ordaz, Sierra Teller Ornelas, Carolina Paiz, Ilana Peña, Dailyn Rodriguez, Gladys Rodriguez, Lindsey Villarreal, Debby Wolfe and Michal Zebede.