This Saturday evening at 8/7c, Logo will air its second annual Trailblazer Honors, an awards show dedicated to recognizing pioneers of the LGBT movement. Just announced today, actress Raven Symoné will introduce Martin Luther King III, who will pay tribute to the late Bayard Rustin.
Bayard Rustin was a gay civil rights leader that played a large role in the Civil Rights Movement, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., participating in the first Freedom Ride, and organizing the March on Washington in 1963. But despite these accomplishments, he is often left out of American history books due to prejudice.
“Bayard Rustin is an American hero who deserves to be acknowledged alongside the titans of the Civil Rights Era, yet he unjustly fell victim to the same homophobia and racism that he spent his life fighting against,” said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV and Logo. “We are so proud to partner with Martin Luther King III to honor Bayard’s legacy and bring his groundbreaking life’s work to a new generation.”
Aside from Rustin, other honorees include International Trailblazer Arsham Parsi, who created an online support group for LGBT people in Iran, and Social Trailblazer Connor Franta, who will be honored after a vote conducted entirely on social media. The show will also honor Trailblazing Parents of LGBT youth including Dennis & Judy Shepard, who began The Mathew Shepard Foundation in honor of their son, and Marsha Aizumi and Sheila Lopez, who founded PFLAG chapters for Asian-Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, respectively.
Other celebrity appearances during the evening include presenters such as Tyler Posey, Kelly Osbourne, Samira Wiley, Lea DeLaria, Tituss Burgess, Betty DeGeneres, and Frankie Grande. Out musician Adam Lambert is also scheduled perform, as well Bleachers, whose lead singer and songwriter Jack Antonoff is an LGBT ally.
Be sure to tune into Logo on Saturday night at 8/7c for an evening full of unforgettable performances and heartwarming honors!
Full disclosure: The author of this post also interns for Logo.