Janet received the Vanguard Award at last night’s 19th Annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards in Hollywood. Janet was presented with the award by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. In her acceptance speech, Janet said: “To everyone at GLAAD and everyone in this room, I would just to say that I hope I can always walk worthy of this award that I have both in my hand and my heart.”
She added: “Even when I was younger, when I was growing up, my mother was very religious but there were a lot of kids who were dancers that she brought into the home and now that I think about it, they were gay.
“They all called her ‘Mother’ and she treated every one of them like they were her children. And that’s where it kind of started, I suppose. I’ve been around the community all my life.”
Check out over 50 photos from the event below.