Beyoncé Honors Her Deceased Gay Uncle At GLAAD Media Awards

Beyoncé and Jay-Z stole the show at the GLAAD Media Awards when they received the Vanguard Award in honor of the couple’s support for the LGBTQ community. And Queen Bey got super emotional.

The legend dedicated the honor to her uncle Johnny, whom she described as “the most fabulous gay man I have ever met.”

Read her full speech below:

“Well, first of all I’m overwhelmed. Just super honored and overwhelmed. I already cried and put a run in my stocking. One of the most beautiful memories of my tour was looking out from the stage every night and seeing the hardest gangster tramping out right next to the most fabulous queen. Respecting and celebrating each other.

That’s the beauty of a great partnership. Connecting people who at first glance, seem to be world’s apart. Whether it’s our fans or our families, the LGBTQI community has always supported us and lifted us up. We thank you.

We’re here to promote love for every human being. And change begins with those closest to you. So let’s tell them they are loved. Let’s remind them they are beautiful, let’s speak out and protect them. And parents, let’s love our kids in their truest form.

I’d like to request that we continue to shift the stigmas in this community, especially the stigmas in black families towards queer black and brown men. Lastly, I want to dedicate this award to my Uncle Johnny, the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever met, who helped raise me and my sister. He lived his truth, he was brave and unapologetic at a time when this country was not as accepting.

Witnessing his battle with HIV was one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever lived. I’m hopeful his struggles served to open pathways for other young people to live more freely. LGBTQI rights are human rights. To choose who you love is your human right, how you identify and see yourself is your human right. Who you make love to and take that ass to Red Lobster is your human right,” she said before thanking her husband for his contributions to the LGBTQ cause.

Last year, GLAAD honored Jay-Z’s mom, Gloria Carter, who came out as a lesbian on Jay-Z’s Grammy-nominated album, 4:44.

The rapper said of his mom: “I get to follow in her footsteps of spreading love and acceptance, and [thank her] for her beautiful speech at the end of the song, ‘Smile,’ and for her allowing me to tell her story,” he said.

We’re not crying. You’re crying!