Kacey Musgraves to Receive GLAAD’s Vanguard Award for LGBTQ Advocacy
Kacey Musgraves' public work as an LGBTQ ally will be honored at this year's GLAAD Media Awards.
The country star will be presented with the Vanguard Award during a special award ceremony on April 2.
Each year, the award is given to "allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people," according to GLAAD. Other artists who have received the honor in previous years include Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Britney Spears.
Since first bursting onto the country scene with her 2012 record Same Trailer, Different Park, Musgraves has been a vocal advocate for equality and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Her song "Follow Your Arrow," which Musgraves co-wrote with Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, shared a message of acceptance for all, including the line, "Kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls, if that’s what you’re into." Although her label was initially against releasing the song to country radio, the track became one of Musgraves' most recognized and widely beloved songs to date.
Her most recent advocacy work includes her partnership with GLAAD and Equality Texas to raise awareness around a series of anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in the Texas state legislature, which included banning transgender youth from participating in school sports programs.
“From speaking out against anti-LGBTQ legislation in her home state of Texas, to raising awareness about bullying affecting LGBTQ youth, to uplifting the work of LGBTQ artists, Kacey continues to raise the bar for what it means to be an authentic ally and to inspire her fans to do the same," GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.
Musgraves is the only country music artist included in GLAAD's 246 total award nominees this year. The announcement comes just days after the Texas native was included on Time Magazine's list of 2022 Women of the Year. Musgraves was one of 12 influential women chosen to represent "leaders working toward a more equal world."
"I decided I’d rather go down in flames for something I really believe in than present a watered-down version of myself that may make me more money," Musgraves tells Time. "You have to fight that until you can get to a place where you can have total creative freedom, and I’m getting there."