GLSEN To Honor Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie At 2019 GLSEN Respect Aw

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Sue Yacka-Bible Senior Media Relations Manager sue.yacka-bible@glsen.org 646-388-6575

GLSEN To Honor Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie At 2019 GLSEN Respect Awards – NEW YORK

Brendon Urie to Receive Inspiration Award on May 20th at Cipriani 42nd Street

New York, NY (March 18, 2019) – GLSEN, the leading education organization working to create safe and inclusive K-12 schools for LGBTQ youth, announced today that it will honor Brendon Urie, front man of the band Panic! at the Disco, with the Inspiration Award for his ongoing commitment to LGBTQ youth and for investing in the power of students to create more inclusive schools. Urie will be presented with the Inspiration Award at the upcoming 2019 GLSEN Respect Awards – New York, on Monday, May 20, 2019, at Cipriani 42nd Street.

Brendon Urie has been a long-time LGBTQ advocate, draping himself in Pride flags during performances and cultivating a fan base that lights up home-made rainbow hearts at sold out shows. In June of 2018, Urie pledged a one million dollar gift to GLSEN to provide resources, training, and support to students creating student-led GSA clubs in K-12 schools. The donation was the inaugural gift of his newly established Highest Hopes Foundation founded to support the efforts of non-profit organizations that lead, develop, and advocate support for human rights for all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

“Brendon has created a unique, powerful, and gloriously safe space for his fans at every concert. How many other stadium shows have vendors outside wrapped in rainbow flags?” said Eliza Byard …. “With the creation of the Highest Hopes Foundation and his incredible pledge to GLSEN, Brendon is extending that power out into the world and putting it into action. By partnering with GLSEN to set the stage for GSA formation and student action in all fifty states, Brendon is galvanizing a new wave of youth advocacy at just the moment that the world needs it most. We cannot thank him enough.”

“Partnering with GLSEN to support student leaders gives me hope that one day all young people will be free to be fully themselves. I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong, and that’s why GSA clubs are so important to me – they give LGBTQ students a place to belong. And GLSEN gives them the tools and resources to make a difference in their classrooms, communities, and ultimately much further,” said Urie. “I’m thrilled to work with GLSEN and am honored to be part of this event.”

As previously announced, Urie joins the Golden Globe® nominated cast of Pose as the evenings esteemed honorees.  GLSEN will also be presenting awards to GSA of the Year and the Educator of the Year, and nominations are currently open for both categories.

The GLSEN Respect Awards, introduced in 2004 and held annually in Los Angeles and New York, showcase 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 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Past honorees include Kerry Washington; Yara Shahidi; Max Mutchnick and  David Kohan; Ellen Pompeo; Rosario Dawson; Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake; Julia Roberts and Danny Moder; Zendaya; Shonda Rhimes, and Carla Gugino.

The GLSEN Respect Awards – New York will welcome approximately 500 guests, including VIPs as well as outstanding youth leaders and educators from around the country, raising more than $1 million in support of GLSEN’s work.

For nearly three decades, GLSEN has led the way on LGBTQ issues in K-12 education through groundbreaking 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 national programs like Day of Silence, No Name-Calling Week, and Ally Week, GLSEN has seen the impact of its work.

Tickets for the Respect Awards are available now. For additional information, please visit www.glsen.org/respectawards

 

About GLSEN:

GLSEN works to create safe and inclusive schools for all. We envision a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression. Each year, GLSEN programs and resources reach millions of students and educators in K-12 schools, via action at the national, state, and local level. Over nearly three decades of work, GLSEN has improved conditions for LGBTQ students across the United States and launched an international movement to address LGBTQ issues in education and promote respect for all in schools. Find more information on GLSEN’s policy advocacy, student leadership initiatives, school-based programs, research, and professional development for educators at www.glsen.org.

About Brendon Urie and Panic! at the Disco

Brendon Urie is a singer, songwriter, and musicisn best known as the frontman of Panic! at the Disco. Growing up in St. George, UT music and performing drove Urie from an early age. He joined Panic! at the Disco in 2005 as lead vocalist, and has contributed to many other creative projects. He’s collaborated with Fall Out Boy, The Cab, Weezer and more; performed in front of President Obama in 2013; and starred in Kinky Boots on Broadway in 2017.

Award-winning internationally acclaimed rock band Panic! at the Disco have released of Pray For The Wicked (via Fueled by Ramen/DCD2 Records) which comes off the heels of their critically acclaimed fifth album, Death Of A Bachelor. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2017 GRAMMY® Awards. The RIAA platinum selling release was the highest selling rock album and fourth-highest selling album released in 2016, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The band's Gold-certified fourth studio album, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die!, was released in October 2013, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Panic! at the Disco's previous albums include 2005's double-platinum A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, 2008's Gold-certified Pretty. Odd., which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and Vices & Virtues, which debuted at No. 7. Panic! at the Disco have been nominated for multiple awards, including a GRAMMY, Teen Choice Award, Alternative Press Music Award, Kerrang! Award, and MTV Video Music Awards.