Britney Spears thanked the LGBTQ community for its unconditional love in a short, but impassioned, speech that drew a standing ovation at the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles Thursday.
The pop queen was honored with GLAAD’s Vanguard Award in recognition of her long-standing support of the LGBTQ community. Taking the stage at the Beverly Hilton in a sparkling silver mini dress, Spears thanked her queer fans for “showing me, throughout my career, what it means to be loved unconditionally.”
“I feel like our society has always put such an emphasis on what’s ‘normal.’ To be different is unusual or seen as strange,” she told the starry crowd, which included fellow honorees Jim Parsons and Lena Waithe, as well as Olympians Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy. “But to be accepted unconditionally and to be able to express yourself as an individual through art is such a blessing.”
She then added, “We can all join hands together here and know that we are all beautiful.”
View Spears’ full speech in the video below.
Spears accepted the award from Ricky Martin, who called her “an artist, a fighter and a friend.”
“She could be one of those stars with a huge LGBTQ following who says nothing and does nothing,” Martin said. “But instead, she uses her platform to remind audiences around the globe that intolerance is unacceptable.”
The crowd seemed legitimately shook to be in Spears’ presence. Among those eager to pose for snapshots with the star after the show were Kenworthy and Rippon.
“One of the things I really like about her is how open her Instagram account is ... she’s so authentically herself,” Rippon gushed to ET Thursday night. “I think she’s such a positive role model.”
Wanda Sykes, who was the evening’s host, felt similarly. After Spears spoke, the teleprompter stopped working. Sykes told the crowd, “Britney has broken the show!”
You can catch the excitement for yourself when the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards air April 18 on Logo TV.
Check out more photos from the ceremony below.
