Grammys: Beyoncé thanks queer community in historic acceptance speech
Beyoncé thanked the queer community in her historic acceptance speech at last night’s Grammy Awards. With her win in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category for Renaissance, Beyoncé surpassed Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti for the record of most Grammy Awards in the ceremony’s history, with 32.
When Beyoncé took to the stage, she told the audience that she was “trying not to be too emotional” and was “trying to just receive this night”. “I want to thank God for protecting me, thank you God,” she said, before paying tribute to her Uncle Jonny, “who’s not here, but he’s here in spirit.” After thanking her family – including her “beautiful husband” and “three children who are at home watching” – Beyoncé celebrated the “queer community for your love” and “for inventing this genre”.
Ahead of the release of Renaissance, Beyoncé described her Uncle Jonny, who passed away due to complications with HIV/AIDS, as her “godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album”.
Led by the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Break My Soul, Renaissance is a dance, house and disco collection that honours the Black and LGBTQ+ pioneers of ballroom and music.
