Haute 100 LA Update: Jennifer Lopez to be Honored by GLAAD

Jennifer Lopez is going to be the honoree at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.

The A-list entertainer will receive the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization’s Vanguard Award, which is presented to artists and media personalities who have increased the visibility of the LGBT community, at the 25th Annual awards ceremony on April 12.

Past recipients of the award include Antonio Banderas, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Chenoweth, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Hutcherson, Janet Jackson, Eric McCormack, Liza Minnelli, Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor.

Lopez is being honored for a variety of reasons. Not only is she one of the Executive Producers of ABC Family’s The Fosters, which is a GLAAD Media Award-nominated drama series about a lesbian couple raising a family of biological, adopted, and foster children, but she is also a judge on American Idol, which, for the first time, featured an openly gay competitor, MK Nobilette.

She has been a strong advocate of LGBT visibility in entertainment media, as well as a strong supporter of marriage equality, saying “when it comes to gay marriage, I just believe in love. I believe that when two people find each other and love each other, they should be able to spend their lives together with all the same benefits and privileges as everyone.”

Says GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis of Lopez’s honor: “Through her work to bring The Fosters to life and by consistently speaking out as a powerful ally, Jennifer Lopez has not only sent a message of acceptance to LGBT adults and young people, but inspired new support for our community among her many fans around the globe. Family is about love, and that’s a message Jennifer has shared with millions through her groundbreaking work on The Fosters.”

The 25^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka, Wells Fargo, and Hilton Worldwide. The Los Angeles event is presented locally by Delta Air Lines and Bud Light and will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

To see the full Los Angeles list, click here.

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