{"id":152,"date":"2026-05-18T13:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=152"},"modified":"2026-05-18T13:08:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:08:58","slug":"newly-expanded-elton-john-impact-awards-honoring-lgbtq-trailblazers-and-allies-unveiled-recipients-include-chappell-roan-laverne-cox-melissa-etheridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=152","title":{"rendered":"Newly Expanded Elton John Impact Awards Honoring LGBTQ Trailblazers and Allies Unveiled: Recipients Include Chappell Roan, Laverne Cox, Melissa Etheridge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tMusic icon Elton John already had an award named after him. Now it has become a bigger awards program: The Elton John Impact Awards, which are being presented to influential members of the LGBTQ+ community and prominent allies.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe Elton John Impact Awards, created by iHeartMedia and consumer packaged goods giant P&G, will launch June 1 as a podcast series on the iHeartRadio app and on all major podcast platforms. It also will air as an audio special on iHeartRadio PRIDE stations. (Listen to the trailer below.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Elton John Impact Award was first introduced in 2022 at \u201cCan\u2019t Cancel Pride,\u201d a virtual benefit concert launched by iHeartMedia and P&G, where John was its inaugural recipient in recognition of his decades-long advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and the fight to end AIDS. Since then, the award\u2019s individual honorees have included singer Brandi Carlile and actor Billy Porter \u2014 and has now evolved into the Elton John Impact Awards. Over the course of five years, Can\u2019t Cancel Pride raised over $17 million for LGBTQ+ nonprofits.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first group of honorees in the expanded awards are Jonathan Bailey, Laverne Cox, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Jean King, Orville Peck and Chappell Roan. Each will be presented with a gold-plated trophy inspired by John\u2019s famous bling-y eyewear.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Elton John Impact Awards recognize \u201cthose whose lifelong work has inspired change and shaped culture, while also giving back to LGBTQ+ organizations that uplift the communities they serve,\u201d according to iHeartMedia and P&G.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe awards special will be hosted by Billy Porter and iHeartRadio host Elvis Duran. That will feature \u201ccandid, personal conversations\u201d with John himself, Elton John AIDS Foundation chair David Furnish and this year\u2019s honorees, who will share \u201cstories, challenges and defining moments\u201d from their personal journeys. In addition, on the inaugural awards show, recording artist and actress Dove Cameron will deliver a special performance of Elton John\u2019s \u201cYour Song.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve always believed in the power of storytelling to connect us and challenge us,\u201d Elton John said in a statement. \u201cThese conversations bring together the people who have shaped LGBTQ+ culture and fought for dignity at a time when the world too often looked away. Some are friends who stood beside me through the AIDS crisis, others are carrying the torch forward with the new generation. Hearing their stories and reflecting on how far we\u2019ve come, and how far we still have to go, is deeply humbling. This is history that cannot be forgotten and these are voices that must be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tOne of the goals of the program is to drive awareness and funding for a range of frontline organizations working to support the LGBTQ+ community, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In partnership with Brandi Carlile\u2019s Looking Out Foundation, additional funds will be granted to CenterLink, GLAAD, the National Black Justice Collective, Outright International, SAGE and the Trevor Project. Each organization addresses various critical needs across the LGBTQ+ community, such as supporting and advocating for LGBTQ+ elder care, increasing access to preventative health services and treatment, and providing mental health support for young people.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s more on the first Elton John Impact Awards honorees:<\/p>\n

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