Ricky Martin is honored at GLAAD Media Awards!

Ricky Martin was honored on Saturday night by Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the the Vito Russo Award presented to someone presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community.

When he took the stage at the New York ceremony, Martin said: “GLAAD has helped me so much. A couple of months ago, I was being attacked by someone in the media in Puerto Rico, and I called GLAAD and I said ‘What do you do? Because I’m new at this, I really don’t know what to do.’ And they said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.’ And they hopped on a plane and they went to Puerto Rico and they did what needed to be done. And today, Puerto Rican television is one step closer to being free from hate, thanks to GLAAD.”

The singer, who came out publicly last year and released a candid memoir called Me, added: “I just want to be free. I can say today I’m free. And for that I definitely need to thank my parents for being so supportive, my mother and my dad for their unconditional love, and my friends, my family, my fans. And my partner in crime and my boyfriend Carlos.”

GLAAD, which promotes positive images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the media, will present additional media awards in Los Angeles on April 10 and San Francisco in May 14.