Trans actor and activist Laverne Cox and trans model and actress Leyna Bloom are set to be honored at this year’s Webby and GLSEN Respect Awards, respectively.
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Per Variety, Cox will be the recipient of the Advocate of the Year Award for her “LGBTQ advocacy work around Black trans lives and rights.” She’s being highlighted for her contributions by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS), the institution that puts on the Webby Awards year after year.
“Laverne Cox understands the true power of showing up by example,” Webby Awards President Claire Graves said in a statement on Tuesday. “She is a clear, consistent and powerful voice advocating in defense of Black trans lives, and we are so proud to recognize her as the 2022 Webby Advocate of the Year, selected by a committee chaired by the NAACP and IADAS.”
Additionally, trans model and actress Bloom will also be recognized with the Gamechanger Award at this year’s GLSEN Respect Awards, which highlights “the work of students, educators, community leaders, and corporations who serve as exemplary role models and have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ youth.” As previously reported by The Root, last March, Bloom made history as the first Black and Asian transgender woman to be featured in Sports Illustrated. Later that summer, she became the first trans woman to ever grace the cover of SI.
“I’m honored to join GLSEN at this year’s Respect Awards to receive the Gamechanger Award,” said Bloom in a statement per a press release sent to The Root. “GLSEN’s mission to ensure safe and inclusive school experiences for LGBTQ+ youth is so important, and I look forward to celebrating their work and all the other honorees.”
The 2022 Webby Awards are set to take place live at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on May 16, hosted by comedian Roy Wood Jr. The 2022 GLSEN Respect Awards also go down on Monday, May 16 at Gotham Hall in New York. For more information about these awards, visit webbyawards.com and glsen.org/respect.
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