Christina Aguilera wouldn’t be fairly so “dirrty” with out the LGBTQ+ neighborhood’s phrases of knowledge.
The pop star took the stage Thursday night time on the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, the place she acquired the Advocate for Change Award. Offered to singer Madonna and former President Invoice Clinton in earlier years, the award acknowledges a public determine who has “modified the sport for LGBTQ individuals all over the world” by their work.
After noting that “most of my lifelong greatest buddies establish as LGBTQ,” Aguilera winked on the lyrics of her 2002 hit, “Dirrty,” whereas thanking members of the queer neighborhood for his or her resilience and affect.
“A lot of who I’m and what I do is due to every of you, and the shared expertise of getting to battle for equality and freedom in some capability,” she stated. “Facet by aspect, we’ve realized and taught one another every thing about life, from enterprise to relationships to music, household, partying ― I don’t know who does it higher ― and, after all, tips on how to give blowjob.”
Watch Aguilera’s 2023 GLAAD Media Awards speech right here:
As the gang erupted in laughter and cheers, she quipped, “I’m simply saying, we all know tips on how to get soiled.”
After her sassy jokes, Aguilera’s speech then took a extra critical flip. The five-time Grammy winner alluded to her childhood expertise with home violence as a contributing issue to her continued LGBTQ+ allyship.
“Whenever you’ve been a sufferer of violence, abuse or trauma, it’s extremely exhausting and scary to search out your voice and battle again,” she stated. “Having grown up in a house with home violence, it was seeing my mother in a powerless place that first ignited the fireplace in me to talk up for the entire individuals whose voices don’t get heard. And it’s not straightforward.”
Aguilera was introduced together with her award by Michael Anderson, a survivor of final 12 months’s mass taking pictures at Colorado’s Membership Q nightclub. A few month after the assault, the bartender referred to as Aguilera “my private icon” and quoted her 2002 smash “Lovely” in an emotional testimony earlier than Congress.
Michael Kovac by way of Getty Pictures
Praising Anderson because the night time’s “true hero,” Aguilera stated in her speech, “All of us want to lift our voices if we wish to dwell in a world that’s freed from discrimination, hate and violence.”
Thursday’s ceremony was hosted by actor-comedian Margaret Cho and in addition featured appearances by Jennifer Coolidge, Ricky Martin and Dangerous Bunny, who acquired GLAAD’s Vanguard Award for his LGBTQ+ allyship.
Hulu is about to air a recording of the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards on April 12.
Need assistance? Within the U.S., name 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the Nationwide Home Violence Hotline.