Out singer-songwriter Troye Sivan was
honored for his LGBT advocacy at Saturday's GLAAD Media Awards in Los
Angeles.
Sivan received the group's Stephen F.
Kolzak Award. Named after the legendary casting director and LGBT
rights advocate, the Stephen F. Kolzak Award is presented to “an
LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in
promoting equality and acceptance.”
Sivan dedicated his award to the
“warriors” who came before him.
“This award is so much larger than
me,” Sivan
said. “This moment is about visibility and about
representation. What and who we see in the media defines our
perception of the world around us. And so, to see ourselves in this
picture of what is 'normal' and what is acceptable and what is
beautiful is absolutely vital.”
Sivan recommended everyone watch How
to Survive a Plague, the 2012 documentary about the early years
of the AIDS epidemic from director David France, before saying that
he wanted to share his award with “the warriors who made it
possible, but maybe didn't get one for themselves.”
Sivan dedicated his award to activists
such as Peter Staley, who is featured in How to Survive a Plague,
Gilbert Baker, the
creator of the rainbow flag who passed away this week, Bayard
Rustin, an openly gay leader of the civil rights movement, Sylvia
Rivera, a transgender activist, and Marsha P. Johnson, a drag queen
and gay rights activist.
The 21-year-old Sivan is the youngest
person to receive the award. Actress
Patricia Arquette was also honored at the event.
Previous recipients include Laverne
Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Ruby Rose, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Bill
Condon, Wanda Sykes, Alan Ball, Pedro Zamora, Martina Navratilova,
Rufus Wainwright, Paris Barclay, Robert Greenblatt, and Sir Ian
McKellen.