Janelle Monáe was named Thursday as the recipient of the LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer Award in the 14th Dorian Film Awards.
The 37-year-old singer and actress was recognized by members of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.
The award – a write-in vote on the Dorian Film Awards ballot – recognizes an LGBTQIA+ individual for “creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity.” Previous winners are filmmakers Pedro Almodóvar and Isabel Sandoval.
Last month, Monáe was honoured at the 28th Critics Choice Awards with the SeeHer Award, which recognizes women who advocate for gender equality and portray characters on screen with authenticity.
Monáe, who uses the pronouns she/her and they/them, explained in her acceptance speech: “I am non-binary, I am queer, and my identity influences my decisions in my work. I’ve always believed that through storytelling, we are able to shed light on a human experience, an experience that most people around this world won’t get an opportunity to see.”
Monáe’s memorable role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery earned her a Dorian nomination for Supporting Film Performance of the Year, an award that went to Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
GALECA, which has more than 400 members, is significantly bigger than the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the Golden Globes. For a complete list of winners of the 14th Dorian Film Awards, click here.
The author of this article is a member of GALECA and a Dorian Film Awards voter.