Forget the Oscar: Cynthia Erivo is set to be honored with an award that’s arguably much more important

Here’s the thing about awards that people may not understand: the purpose of an award is not to bestow an honor upon the person, but for the award’s prestige to be elevated on account of the recipient’s actions or achievements. Cillian Murphy is not a better actor because he has an Oscar; the Oscar is a better award because Cillian Murphy won it last year.

And so when we see an award, the most honest thing we can do is focus on the actions that earned the recipient that award, and the trail blazed by Cynthia Erivo — the Wicked leading lady who’s set to be honored with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards next month — is a remarkable one indeed.

Per a statement from GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis to the The Hollywood Reporter, Erivo’s proactive presence on stage, screen, and the scenes behind and beyond them has made her more than deserving of recognition for the award, whose previous recipients include Laverne Cox, Jeremy Pope, Jim Parsons, and Wanda Sykes.

The award is presented to an “LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.”

Cynthia Erivo’s one-of-a-kind voice has been an integral part of accelerating acceptance for LGBTQ people since she came on the scene over a decade ago. Her legacy is defined not by her numerous accolades and honors but by how with each new platform and milestone, she continues to show up for Black, queer and other marginalized peoples amid her well-deserved success,

Wicked, which was nominated for a whopping 10 Academy Awards last month — including one for Best Picture and a Best Actress nod for Erivo herself — is the latest of these platform-milestones from which Erivo is showing up for marginalized people. The film deals very heavily in social justice, from the bigoted bullying in schoolyards all the way to the violent fascism enforced by the megalomaniacal Donald Tru – I mean, Wizard of Oz.

Despite these heavy topics, Wicked was and continues to be a bastion of escapism from the tumultuous state of the world, thanks to its mandate of colorful and complex musical numbers, and unwavering acceptance for folks of all colors, creeds, ability, and magical proficiencies. Its cultural impact and beefy box office haul were no coincidences.

So while the Stephen F. Kolzak Award seeks to honor more than a great cinematic performance that the Oscar acknowledges, Wicked shows us that the art Erivo chooses to commit to is inseparable from the harbored values that have earned her this honorary GLAAD award in the first place. Erivo, a Black, queer artist, has been at the forefront of diverse storytelling for close to a decade now, with The Color Purple, Harriet, and now Wicked among her most prominent projects. The bravery with which she willingly(?) participated in Chaos Walking can’t be ignored either.

Jokes aside, it’s no insignificant thing to see an artist like Erivo become even more decorated, and though she’s hardly the favorite for Best Actress, her continued visibility is a win for the world at large.