After offering an Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning performance on Pose and continuing to break down doors for the trans community in entertainment, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is receiving yet another honor for her continued work advocating for the LGBTQ community,
On Wednesday (Feb. 16), GLAAD announced Rodriguez as this year’s recipient of the organization’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards. Presented to LGBTQ media professionals who have made “a significant difference in promoting LGBTQ acceptance” in the field of entertainment, the award will be presented to Rodriguez at the organization’s Los Angeles ceremony on April 2, 2022.
The actress-singer first rose to fame thanks to her portrayal of Blanca Evangelista, a transgender house mother in the New York ballroom scene on the FX series Pose. Since the series wrapped in June 2021, Jaé went on to kickstart her music career with her official debut single “Something to Say,” released in the same month via Access Records.
“Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is an undeniable talent who is changing the way audiences understand trans people while breaking down barriers for the trans community and LGBTQ people of color within the entertainment industry,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, in a statement.”Her performance as Blanca on Pose was one of the most important and impactful roles in the history of LGBTQ representation on television, and she continues to spearhead the future of trans visibility and inclusion in entertainment through her talent on screen, in music, and as a passionate activist.”
The Stephen F. Kolzak Award was first awarded in 1991 posthumously to its namesake, a casting director who made a name for himself for bringing “awareness in the entertainment industry about the discrimination faced by LGBTQ people as well as people living with HIV.” The award was previously given to stars including Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Troye Sivan, Melissa Etheridge, Jim Parsons, Wanda Sykes, Ruby Rose, Chaz Bono, Stephen Warren, Sir Ian McKellen and many others.
The GLAAD Media Awards will take place over two ceremonies — one in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on April 2, 2022, and another in New York City at the Hilton Midtown on May 6, 2022. To get tickets to either event, visit the GLAAD website.