Lena Hall and FLETCHER to Perform at the GLSEN Respect Awards

GLSEN has announced that FLETCHER and Lena Hall will each perform at the GLSEN Respect Celebration. GLSEN also announced Jennifer Beals, Jess Cagle, Wilson Cruz, Connor Franta, Jim Parsons and Alexandra Shipp will be part of the celebration. GLSEN previously announced Antoni Porowski as host.

The virtual event will honor outgoing GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard for her 20 years of service to the organization, celebrating the accomplishments made during her tenure and looking towards the future of GLSEN. The special evening will feature past GLSEN honorees, music performances and highlight some of the amazing LGBTQ+ student honorees from past Respect Awards celebrations. This year's festivities take place on October 14, 2021 at 5PM PT/8PM ET at glsen.org/respect.

"We are honored to have FLETCHER and Lena Hall join us to perform for this year's GLSEN Celebration. They are both incredible talents and activists, and it will be a beautiful night of music," said Melanie/">Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, Interim Executive Director, GLSEN. "We are also thankful for so many friends joining us to celebrate Eliza and GLSEN's important work."

Praised by leading outlets like TIME, Wonderland, Harper's Bazaar, Interview Magazine, GQ, The Guardian, and more, FLETCHER hails from Asbury Park, New Jersey, where she cultivated her passion for music and her unforgettably candid storytelling. After graduating from NYU's famed Clive Davis Institute for Recorded Music, FLETCHER carved out a distinct space for herself in pop music, and in 2019 released her debut EP you ruined new york city for me via Capitol Records. The widely lauded EP features her breakthrough hit "Undrunk," a track that spent several weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, scored the #1 spot on Spotify's Viral Chart, emerged as the fastest-rising song in pop radio from a new artist in the past five years, and earned FLETCHER a nomination for iHeartRadio's Best New Pop Artist. Over the years, FLETCHER has sold out several headline tours and landed impressive slots at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and other major festivals. Her 2020 EP THE S(EX) TAPES hit No. 1 on iTunes across all genres and drew acclaim from outlets like Teen Vogue, SPIN, PAPER, and more. The EP's lead single "Bitter" is gold-certified and surpassed 175 million streams to date. An outspoken activist and supporter of the #MeToo movement throughout her career, FLETCHER released the 2018 track "I Believe You" in support of sexual assault survivors, garnering over 50 million streams and her 2020 song "Last Laugh" is featured on the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning film Promising Young Woman. FLETCHER was also recently nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist. Her new single, "girls girls girls" a bold reimagining of Katy Perry's groundbreaking hit "I Kissed a Girl" is out now. With Perry's early stamp of approval, "girls girls girls," continues the original track's legacy as a key force in bringing LGBTQ+ to the forefront of the mainstream. The single cements FLETCHER's status as one of her generation's most fascinating queer icons.

Lena Hall is an actress, singer, songwriter and activist. Hall is a Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee who currently appears on TNT's science-fiction epic, Snowpiercer. Following her Tony-winning Broadway run in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," Hall toured North America alongside Josh Groban on his "Stages" tour and portrayed the dual starring roles of Hedwig and Yitzhak in "Hedwig" in Los Angeles and San Francisco. She originated the role of Nicola in the Tony-winning musical "Kinky Boots." Hall has appeared on "Girls," "Good Girls Revolt" and voice roles for numerous shows. Hall has appeared on numerous albums and extended plays, most recently releasing The Villa Satori: Growing up Haight Ashbury in 2020.

The GLSEN Respect Awards, introduced in 2004 and held annually in Los Angeles and New York, showcases the work of students, educators, community leaders, and corporations who serve as exemplary role models and have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ youth. Past honorees included Kerry Washington, Tim Cook, Yara Shahidi, Marilyn/">Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jim Parsons & Todd Spiewak, Julia Roberts & Danny Moder, Matt Bomer & Simon Halls, Ellen Pompeo, Octavia Spencer, and Rosario/">Rosario-Dawson/">Rosario/">Rosario Dawson.

Event Co-Chairs for the 2021 Respect Awards are Andrew Graham, Michel Mercure, Patrick Moran, Ryan Pedlow, Jeannette Perez, Ben Roy, Elizabeth Stribling-Kivlan, Chip Sullivan, Alicin Reidy Williamson and Chely Wright. Honorary Co-Chairs include Kalen Allen, Jennifer Beals, Greg Berlanti & Robbie Rogers, Matt Bomer & Simon Halls, Jess Cagle & Matt Whitney, Charlie Carver, Jason Collins & Brunson Green, Tim Cook, Wilson Cruz, Rosario/">Rosario-Dawson/">Rosario/">Rosario Dawson, Connor Franta, Bob Greenblatt & Stephen Loguidice, Carla Gugino, Marilyn/">Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jim Parsons & Todd Spiewak, Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, Julia Roberts & Danny Moder, MJ Rodriguez, and Octavia Spencer.

For three decades, GLSEN has led the way on LGBTQ+ issues in K-12 education through ground-breaking original research, innovative program development, educator training, student organizing, and targeted state and federal advocacy. With the development of educational resources, direct engagement of youth and educators, and GLSEN national programs like GLSEN Day of Silence and Solidarity Week. GLSEN has seen the impact of its work in measurable improvements in the lives of LGBTQ+ students in the United States.

For additional information, please visit www.glsen.org/respect

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