MNEK, Courtney Act, Harry Styles and Edward Enninful are among the nominees for this year’s Gay Times Honours.
The annual ceremony, which will recognise individuals and organisations that have had a profound impact on the lives of LGBTQ people, will take place on 8 November at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
Hosted by Mary Mac, famous faces and high profile figures from the LGBTQ community and beyond will descend on the city for the ceremony. It marks the first time Gay Times has held a flagship event of this scale in the UK outside of London.
MNEK has been nominated in the Music category following the release of his brilliant debut album Language, and faces competition from Troye Sivan and Kim Petras.
Charlotte Rutherford
Courtney Act, meanwhile, has been nominated for the Gay Times Honour for Media, which will celebrate individuals or organisations who have championed diversity through the power of media and TV.
The Celebrity Big Brother winner is nominated in the category alongside gal-dem magazine founder Liv Little, and Chewing Gum creator, writer and actress Michaela Coel.
Elsewhere, LGBT History Month, Albert Kennedy Trust, UK Black Pride, Nicki Dawes, and Them have been nominated for the Community Champions Honour, while Gay Games, Pride Sports, and Lou Englefield are all in the running for the Gay Times Honour for Sport.
Voices outside of the community who advocate for LGBTQ equality are vital for amplifying queer perspectives and stories into the mainstream.
With that in mind, Harry Styles, Brockhampton, Cupcakke, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, and Lady Gaga have all been nominated for the Gay Times Honour for LGBTQ Advocate for using their platforms in the past 12 months to champion LGBTQ people.
Other Gay Times Honours nominees this year include British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, artist Eivind Hansen, writer Shon Faye, and YouTuber and children’s author Pop’n’Olly.
Thirteen honourees will be celebrated on the night with each one immortalised in a unique portrait by Ed Firth, which will go on display for 14 days at the Walker Art Gallery after the ceremony.
© Jack Alexander for Gay Times
Michael Causer – the openly gay Liverpool teenager who died following a brutal homophobic attack in 2008 – will also remembered at the Gay Times Honours.
The Michael Causer Foundation – which was set up by his family to eradicate LGBTQ hate crime across the country – will receive the Gay Times Honour for Special Recognition.
The decision to bring the Gay Times Honours to Liverpool was announced by Gay Times owner James Frost and Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson back in August.
Gay Times owner James Frost said: “Liverpool is a wonderfully vibrant, thriving and culturally diverse city so it is a natural destination for Gay Times Honours.
“These awards are all about shining a light on people in the public eye, and those from everyday life, who have done remarkable things to advance the rights of the LGBTQ community and we’re very excited to be doing this in Liverpool.
“There will be a number of high-profile celebrity names but we will also be paying tribute to local heroes. Everyone is going to be talking about Gay Times Honours when it takes place on 8 November.”
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson added: “Our city continues to attract major events but this is particularly special because it brings together inspirational people who have and continue to use their platform to promote and enhance LGBTQ equality all over the world.
“The spotlight will be firmly on the city on 8 November and so we’ll be working with Gay Times to make sure the occasion is a massive success. I’m incredibly proud that Gay Times has chosen us.”
The full list of nominations for the Gay Times Honours 2018 are as follows:
Gay Times Honour for Community Champions
LGBT History Month
Albert Kennedy Trust
UK Black Pride
Nicki Dawes
Them
Gay Times Honour for Government and Policy
Vicky Beeching
Shahmir Sanni
Lily Madigan
Gay Times Honour for Arts and Culture
Kate O’Donnell
Sadie Sinner
Eivind Hansen
Gay Times Honour for Music
MNEK
Kim Petras
Troye Sivan
Gay Times Honour for Sport
Gay Games
Lou Englefield
Pride Sports
Gay Times Honour for Entrepreneurship
Jason Reveloon
Suki Sandhu + OUTstanding lists
Edward Enninful
Gay Times Honour for STEM
Philip Samba
Sophie Wilson
Steven Cox
Gay Times Honour for Media
Liv Little
Michaela Coel
Courtney Act
Gay Times Honour for Education
Pop’n’Olly
Diversity Role Models
Shon Faye
Gay Times Honour for Future Fighters
Kuchenga
Nicolay Alexeyev
Travis Alabanza
Jamie Windust
Krishna Omkar
Gay Times Honour for LGBTQ Advocate
Harry Styles
Brockhampton
Lady Gaga
Cupcakke
Matty Healy (The 1975)
Gay Times Honour for Special Recognition
The Michael Causer Foundation
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