During the 2021 GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday (April 8), Demi Lovato along with the cast of Glee honoured the late Naya Rivera who played Santana Lopez during the first three seasons of the hit show.

 

Demi, who briefly played Naya’s onscreen girlfriend on Glee, opened the segment with, “The character Naya played, Santana Lopez, was groundbreaking for closeted queer girls, like I was at the time.  Her ambition and accomplishments inspired Latina women all over the world. That’s the power of a show like Glee.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Heather Morris (@heatherrelizabethh)


Demi continued, “Let’s use our power to move the Equality Act forward.  It’s been 10 years since Santana Lopez came out; look at what LGBTQ teens have done in a decade. Imagine what they can do in the next one.”

 

Demi then passed the mic onto the cast of Glee, which included Jane Lynch, Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Jenna Ushkowitz, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Harry Shum Jr., Jacob Artist, Vanessa Lengies and Becca Tobin.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GLAAD (@glaad)

 

 

Jane, who played cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester began, “I remember when Naya became a regular castmember.  She was a dancer, and I always thought she was cute and she was a great dancer. And then Ryan [Murphy, the creator of Glee] started giving her lines, and I was like, ‘Wow. This girl is really something.'”

 

The cast then reflected on the impact Naya’s character had.  Alex Newell, who played transgender student Unique Adams shared, “With the exception of our show, there were almost no LGBTQ teens on television at the time.”  Heather Morris (Brittany Pearce, Santana’s main love interest) added, “As an ally, Naya was so honored to represent them.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Glee (@officialglee)


 

At the end of their segment, the cast shared a note which was written by Naya’s mother, Yolanda Previtire, “Her desire was always to be an advocate for those who did not have a voice.  I don’t believe she realized how important she was to this world. I am grateful that my eldest daughter helped to change the landscape of how we view and see each other.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Glee (@officialglee)


 

RIP Naya, gone but never forgotten.

Filed under: 2021-glaad-awards, demi-lovato, glee, naya-rivera