GLAAD Media Awards 2021: Schitt’s Creek, Happiest Season, Sam Smith Take Top Awards

Schitt’s Creek ruled the night of the GLAAD Media Awards 2021 and at this point, we are not even surprised. On the 32^nd annual GLAAD Media Awards, the show roped in another award under their sleeve. It was the show’s second straight award from the media watchdog organization. This follows after Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The virtual ceremony premiered exclusively on GLAAD’s YouTube channel. It was later available for streaming on Hulu. Top prize-winners of the night also included Clea DuVall’s Happiest Season; Joe Mantello’s The Boys in the Band, Sam Feder’s transgender representation documentary Disclosure; the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Discovery, and pop star Sam Smith.

Nine competitive categories were announced with other winners revealed in advance or via social media in conjunction with the show. However, celebrating the accomplishments of the LGBTQ communities and their allies was the top priority of the show. GLAAD Media Awards also gave us some very emotional and heavy moments.

The cast of Glee reunited for the very first time in honor of the unfortunate death of actress Naya Rivera. They gave a special tribute to her character Santana Lopez as introduced by Demi Lovato. Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jessalyn Gilsig; Dot-Marie Jones; Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale; Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison; Alex Newell, Lauren Potter; Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr.; Becca Tobin, and Jenna Ushkowitz appeared during the tribute.

Many presenters called out the advances on the community including the violence faced by trans women of color and the anti-trans enactment circulation across the country. Especially Arkansas which became the first state to block medical care for trans youth.

“Friends, I’m so proud to stand with the LGBTQ community tonight, just as the LGBTQ community stands with Black and diverse communities. Black Lives Matter, Black Trans Lives Matter, and I know we’re going to keep spreading that message of unity and justice until every one of us is safe to live the lives we love,” said presenter Sterling K. Brown while announcing one of the awards.

The award which was accepted by Laverne Cox heard her dedicate a message to all the trans youths watching. The actor shared how they want them to know that they are anointed and despite all of the attacks that might be happening against them, they are divine. She said, “To the trans youth watching right now, we want you to know that you’re anointed, that despite all of the attacks that might be happening against you, you are divine. You deserve to be. You are here for a reason. You must survive to fulfill that divine purpose.”

The award show also saw special appearances by Katy Perry, Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bennett, Bob the Drag Queen; Wilson Cruz, and many others. There were several performances by CHIKA, Rebecca Black, and Jessica Betts. Sabrina Carpenter performed exclusively for the Hulu stream.

“The GLAAD Media Awards special guests and winners sent an undeniably loud message of LGBTQ acceptance around the world tonight,” said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. She further shared how this year’s award recipients reminded them that even in times of political and cultural division, diverse LGBTQ representation and visibility can enlighten, entertain and create a lasting impact.

There was also an award for best children’s programming which was won by The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo. The title was accepted by the character from the presenter and newly-out star, JoJo Siwa. She used her time to praise her girlfriend and make a plea for acceptance.

A full list of winners follows.

Outstanding Film – Wide Release

Happiest Season (Hulu) (WINNER)
The Craft: Legacy (Sony Pictures)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
The Old Guard (Netflix)
The Prom (Netflix)

Outstanding Film – Limited Release

The Boys in the Band (Netflix) (WINNER)
Ammonite (NEON)
And Then We Danced (Music Box Films)
The Half of It (Netflix)
I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics)
Kajillionaire (Focus Features)
The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Lingua Franca (ARRAY/Netflix)
Monsoon (Strand Releasing)
The True Adventures of Wolfboy (Vertical Entertainment)

Outstanding Documentary

Disclosure (Netflix) (WINNER)
Circus of Books (Netflix)
Equal (HBO Max)
For They Know Not What They Do (First Run Features)
Howard (Disney+)
Mucho Mucho Amor (Netflix)
Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street (Virgil FIlms/Shudder)
Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)
We Are The Radical Monarchs (PBS POV)
Welcome to Chechnya (HBO)

Outstanding Comedy Series

Schitt’s Creek (Pop) (WINNER)
Big Mouth (Netflix)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)
Harley Quinn (HBO Max)
Love, Victor (Hulu)
Saved by the Bell (Peacock)
Sex Education (Netflix)
Superstore (NBC)
Twenties (BET)

Outstanding Drama Series

Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+) (WINNER)
9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
P-Valley (Starz)
Ratched (Netflix)
Supergirl (The CW)
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
Vida (Starz)
The Wilds (Amazon)
Wynonna Earp (Syfy)

Outstanding TV Movie

Uncle Frank (Amazon Studios) (WINNER)
Alice Júnior (Netflix)
Bad Education (HBO)
The Christmas House (Hallmark Channel)
The Christmas Setup (Lifetime)
Dashing in December (Paramount Network)
La Leyenda Negra (HBO Latino/HBO Max)
The Thing About Harry (Freeform)
Unpregnant (HBO Max)
Your Name Engraved Herein (Netflix)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

I May Destroy You (HBO) (WINNER)
Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC)
The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix)
Hollywood (Netflix)
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Outstanding Reality Program

We’re Here (HBO) (WINNER)
Deaf U (Netflix)
Legendary (HBO Max)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Outstanding Children’s Programming

The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (HBO Max) (WINNER)
“Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!” DuckTales (Disney XD)
“Dogbot” Clifford The Big Red Dog (PBS)
“Nancy Plays Dress Up” Fancy Nancy (Disney Junior)
Summer Camp Island (HBO Max)

Outstanding Kids & Family Programming

First Day (Hulu) (WINNER/TIE)
She-Ra & The Princesses of Power (Dreamworks Animation/Netflix) (WINNER/TIE)
Craig of the Creek (Cartoon Network)
Diary of a Future President (Disney+)
Kipo and The Age of the Wonderbeasts (Dreamworks Animation/Netflix)
The Loud House (Nickelodeon)
“Mary Anne Saves the Day” The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix)
“Obsidian” Adventure Time: Distant Lands (HBO Max)
The Owl House (Disney Channel)
Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)

Outstanding Music Artist:

Sam Smith, Love Goes (Capitol) (WINNER)
Adam Lambert, Velvet (More Is More/Empire)
Brandy Clark, Your Life Is a Record (Warner)
Halsey, Manic (Capitol)
Kehlani, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t (Atlantic)
Lady Gaga, Chromatica (Streamline/Interscope)
Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts (RCA)
Pabllo Vittar, 111 (BMT/Sony Music Brasil)
Peppermint, A Girl Like Me: Letters to My Lovers (Producer Entertainment Group)
Ricky Martin, Pausa (Sony Latin)Sam Smith, Love Goes (Capitol)

Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist

Chika, Industry Games (Warner) (WINNER)
Arca, KiCk i (XL)
FLETCHER, The (S)ex Tapes (Capitol)
Keiynan Lonsdale, Rainbow Boy (Keiynan Lonsdale)
Kidd Kenn, Child’s Play (Island Records)
Orville Peck, Show Pony (Columbia/Sub Pop)
Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Rina Sawayama, Sawayama (Dirty Hit/Avex Trax)
Trixie Mattel, Barbara (Producer Entertainment Group/ATO Records)
Victoria Monét, Jaguar (Tribe Records)

Outstanding Video Game 

The Last of Us Part II (Sony Interactive Entertainment) (WINNER/TIE)
Tell Me Why (Xbox Game Studios) (WINNER/TIE)
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft)
Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles (2K Games)
Bugsnax (Young Horses)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
If Found… (Annapurna Interactive)
Ikenfell (Humble Games)
Immortals Fenyx Rising (Ubisoft)
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands (Blizzard Entertainment)

Outstanding Comic Book

Empyre, Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling, Empyre: Aftermath Avengers, written by Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Chip Zdarsky, Anthony Oliveira (Marvel Comics) (WINNER)
Far Sector, written by N.K. Jemisin (DC Comics)Guardians of the Galaxy, written by Al Ewing (Marvel Comics)
Juliet Takes a Breath, written by Gabby Rivera (BOOM! Studios)Lois Lane, written by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)
The Magic Fish, written by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)
Suicide Squad, written by Tom Taylor (DC Comics)
Wynd, written by James Tynion IV (BOOM! Studios)
X-Factor, written by Leah Williams (Marvel Comics)
You Brought Me the Ocean, written by Alex Sanchez (DC Comics)

Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode

“Lilly Responds to Comments About Her Sexuality” A Little Late With Lilly Singh (NBC) (WINNER)
“Andy Cohen Calls for Change So He Can Donate His Plasma” Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
“Black Trans Lives Matter” Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
“Emily’s Coming Out Story” Red Table Talk: The Estefans (Facebook Watch)
“Laverne Cox – Exploring Trans Representation with ‘Disclosure’” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment

“Dwyane Wade One-On-One: Basketball Legend Opens Up About Supporting Transgender Daughter” Good Morning America (ABC) (WINNER)
“Black Trans Activists on Being the ‘Blueprint for the Struggle for Black Freedom'” MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson (MSNBC)
“Faith, Foster Care and LGBTQ Rights Collide in Supreme Court” ABC News Prime (ABC News Live)
“One-on-One with Transportation Secretary Nominee Pete Buttigieg” State of the Union (CNN)
“Trans and Non-Binary People Face Voting Barriers Ahead of 2020 Election” (CBSN)

Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form

“ABC News Joe Biden Town Hall” (ABC) (WINNER)
“The Deciders” (CBS)
“Pride and Protest: Being Black and Queer in America in 2020” (NBC News NOW)
“Pride on ABC News Live: The Landmark Decision” (ABC News Live)
“Prideland” (PBS) 

Outstanding Print Article

“20 LGBTQ+ People Working to Save Lives on the Frontline” by Diane Anderson-Minshall, David Artavia, Tracy Gilchrist, Desiree Guerrero, Jeffrey Masters, Donald Padgett, and Daniel Reynolds (The Advocate) (WINNER)
“The AIDS Quilt Marches Home” by Jason Sheeler (People)
“As Homeless Shelters Brace for Funding Cuts, LGBTQ Youths Take Desperate Measures to Get By” by Samantha Schmidt (The Washington Post)
“Delaware’s Sarah McBride Makes History as the Nation’s First Openly Transgender State Senator” by Meg Ryan (Delaware Today)
“How a March for Black Trans Lives Became a Huge Event” by Anushka Patil (The New York Times)
“It’s Time for a New Tipping Point for Transgender Folks in Hollywood” by Tre’vell Anderson (Out)
“LGBTQ Americans Are Getting Coronavirus, Losing Jobs. Anti-Gay Bias is Making it Worse for Them.” by Petruce Jean-Charles (USA Today)
“Lutheran High School Athletic Trainer, Coach Says She Was Fired for Being Gay” by Arika Herron (The Indianapolis Star)
“States Won’t Collect LGBTQ Data on COVID-19 — and Advocates Aren’t Happy” by Chris Johnson (Washington Blade)
“Why Billy Porter is a National Treasure” by Tre’vell Anderson (Essence)

Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage

People (WINNER)The Advocate
Billboard
Plus
Variety

Outstanding Online Journalism Article

“Gay Men Speak Out After Being Turned Away from Donating Blood During Coronavirus Pandemic: ‘We are Turning Away Perfectly Healthy Donors'” by Tony Morrison and Joel Lyons (GoodMorningAmerica.com) (WINNER)
“The Battle Over Title IX and Who Gets to be a Woman in Sports: Inside the Raging National Debate” by Katie Barnes (epsnW.com)
“Here’s how Reggie Greer Takes on LGBTQ Outreach for Joe Biden in this ‘Very Personal’ Election” by John Gallagher (LGBTQNation.com)
“No Medicine, No Food: Coronavirus Restrictions Amplify Health Risks to LGBT+ People with HIV” by Nita Bhalla and Oscar Lopez (Openlynews.com)
“An Oral History of Fashion’s Response to the AIDS Epidemic” [series] by Phillip Picardi (VOGUE.com)
“Queer Spaces Project” [series] by Nico Lang, Samantha Allen, Marke B., Matt Baume, Steven Blum, Alexander Cheves, Devlyn Camp, Michael Cuby, James Factora, KC Hoard, Sophie Hurwitz, Michelle Kim, and Daniel Villareal (them.us)
“Trans Athletes’ Fight for Inclusion in World Rugby” [series] by Dawn Ennis, Alex Reimer, Karleigh Webb, and Cyd Zeigler (Outsports.com)
“Trans Freedom Fighters” [series] by Sam Levin (TheGuardian.com)
“Trans, Imprisoned — and Trapped” by Kate Sosin (NBCNews.com) “You Don’t Belong Here’: In Poland’s ‘LGBT-Free Zones’ Existing is an Act of Defiance” by Ivana Kottasová and Rob Picheta (CNN.com)

Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia

“Stop Killing Us: Black Transgender Women’s Lived Experiences” by Talibah Newman Ometu, Thomas Blount, Juliana Schatz Preston, and Mariah Dupont (Complex World) (WINNER)
“A Closer Look: Transgender in Kashmir” by Robert Leslie (Business Insider)
“I’m an Immigrant Fighting for Queer Rights and Racial Justice” by Abigail E. Disney, Catherine King, Maria Nunez, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Patty Quillin, Julie Parker Benello, Susan Sherrerd, and Lynda Weinman (Refinery29)
“They Will See You: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Advertising” by Brent Miller, Otto Bell, and Jordan Shavarebi (Great Big Story)
“Why LGBTQ Rights Hinge on the Definition of ‘Sex’” by Laura Bult, Ranjani Chakraborty, Melissa Hirsch, and Sidnee King (Vox)

Outstanding Blog

TransGriot (WINNER)
Gays With Kids
JoeMyGod
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
The Reckoning

Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media: Windy City Times

Special Recognition: After Forever (Amazon)

Special Recognition: Deadline’s New Hollywood Podcast

Special Recognition: Happiest Season Soundtrack (Facet/Warner Records)

Special Recognition: Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles (Patrik Ian-Polk Entertainment)

Special Recognition: Out (Pixar/Disney+)

Special Recognition: Razor Tongue (YouTube)

Special Recognition: “The Son” Little America (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series

Veneno (HBO Max) (WINNER)
Ana (Amazon/Comedy Central/Pantaya)
Élite (Netflix)
#Luimelia (Atresplayer Premium)
Someone Has to Die (Netflix)

Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism

“La Hermana de Aleyda Ortiz Narra Cómo Salió del Clóset y Cómo se lo Comunicó a su Familia” Despierta América (Univision) (WINNER)
“Decisión de la Corte Suprema Para Comunidad LGBTQ” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)
“Proyecto ser Humano: La Terapia del Engaño” Camilo (CNN en Español)
“Refugio para Pacientes de COVID-19 y Comunidad LGBTI en México” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)
“Sanación Milagrosa” Despierta América (Univision)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism Article

“Desapareció en México, Solo se Hallaron sus Restos: La Historia de la Doctora María Elizabeth Montaño y su Importancia para la Comunidad Trans” por Albinson Linares y Marina E. Franco (Telemundo.com) (WINNER)
“El Brutal Asesinato de una Mujer Transgénero Conmociona a Puerto Rico y Renueva una Conversación Sobre la Transfobia” por Harmeet Kaur y Rafy Rivera (CNNEspañol.com)
“Entrevistas para el mes del Orgullo LGBT+” por Paula Velasco, Aurora Villaseñor, y Sofía Viramontes (Gatopardo.com)
“Elliot Page y el Dilema Social del Género” por Marcos Billy Guzmán (ElNuevoDía.com)
“La Historia de un Amor Moderno” por María Torres Clausell (Quién.com)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia: “Soy Trans: El Camino a un Nuevo Despertar” por Sarah Moreno, Esther Piccolino, y José Sepúlveda (El Nuevo Herald)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia

“Soy Trans: El Camino a un Nuevo Despertar” por Sarah Moreno, Esther Piccolino, y José Sepúlveda (El Nuevo Herald) (WINNER)
“Abril Zamora: Sin Filtros” (Elle España) “Ciudad de México Prohibe las ‘Terapias’ Contra la Homosexualidad” por Elías Camhaji, Jonás Cortés, y Rodrigo Floriano (El País)
“La Liga Deportiva de la Diversidad” por Lucía Anaya (VICE en Español)
“Mujeres LGBT+ en México: Ari Vera” (Homosensual)

Special Recognition (Spanish-Language)

Jesse & Joy, “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma)”