Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization — announced the organization will honor six-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera with the HRC Ally for Equality Award at the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner.
As previously announced, Yeardley Smith will also be honored with the HRC National Leadership Award. Set to take place on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE, the event brings together more than 1,000 of HRC’s most active members and supporters in the greater Los Angeles area to raise crucial funds in the fight for LGBTQ equality.
“Christina Aguilera is a living legend and a true LGBTQ icon who consistently uses her global superstar platform to share a message of hope and inspiration to those who have been marginalized simply because of who they are,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Through her powerful music and her tireless efforts for positive change, she is making a real difference in the lives of countless people while bringing greater visibility to the LGBTQ community. HRC is proud to honor Christina Aguilera with the HRC Ally for Equality Award at the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner.”
From helping raise funds in the fight against HIV/AIDS to advocating for marriage equality and speaking out against anti-LGBTQ bullying, Christina Aguilera has long been an outspoken advocate for fairness and equality. In 2017, Billboard said she had earned her status as an LGBTQ icon “for advocating for LGBTQ equality and representation over the course of her career.” Aguilera’s 2002 single “Beautiful” was hailed as one of the most empowering LGBTQ anthems of all time and brought greater visibility to the LGBTQ community through representation in its celebrated music video. In a 2017 special love letter to the LGBTQ community, Aguilera said, “The LGBTQ community has never had it easy, the struggles each one of you faces daily on an individual level and on a broader political and cultural level are unimaginable, yet you keep fighting, you keep moving forward trailblazing and beating all odds with love always in your hearts.”
Aguilera is renowned for her powerful voice and hit songs. Throughout her career, she has sold more than 43 million records worldwide. Aguilera has achieved five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart making her the fourth female artist to top the chart over three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s). She has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the prestigious honor of being the only artist under the age of 30 included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. In 2011 she entered the world of television as a coach on NBC’s Emmy Award nominated show The Voice. Aguilera has served as global spokesperson for Yum! Brands’ World Hunger Relief effort since 2009 and has helped raise over $150 million for the World Food Program and other hunger relief agencies. In May 2019 she will begin her residency, The Xperience, at the Zappos Theatre at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Later this year she will also embark on The X Tour in Europe.
Last month, HRC announced that the organization will honor LGBTQ advocate Yeardley Smith with the HRC National Leadership Award at the event. Smith is an Emmy Award-winning actor and producer who has appeared on television, film, and Broadway, and has been the iconic voice of Lisa Simpson for over 30 years. A long-time, passionate supporter of the LGBTQ community, she was a leading advocate and contributor to the fight for marriage equality and was the single largest funder in the fight against California’s notorious “Proposition 8.” In the face of the Trump-Pence administrations relentless efforts to undermine and roll back the critical progress made for the LGBTQ community, Smith helped fund HRC’s unprecedented 2018 midterm efforts to mobilize voters and successfully flip the U.S. House of Representatives to a pro-equality majority.
