Straight Up Ally Award
Don’t let her petite 5’0 stature fool you. Paula Abdul’s impact on pop culture and within the queer community has been massive.
While the former Laker girl first made her breakthrough choreographing tours and music videos for the likes of Janet Jackson, George Michael and Duran Duran, her inner pop star couldn’t be contained and she soon had the world dancing with her music thanks to a litany of infectious hit songs like “Straight Up”, “Forever Your Girl”, “Knocked Out”, “Opposites Attract”, “Cold Hearted” and “Rush Rush”, among others.
She went on to conquer television with her warm personality, constructive criticism, and empathetic approach guiding the burgeoning careers of future pop stars as a judge on American Idol. Queer artists Adam Lambert and David Archuleta are just a few of the successful singers that are living proof of Paula’s expertise and invaluable mentorship.
Beyond her contributions to the entertainment industry, Paula has always used her platform to be a vocal advocate for the queer community. In addition to headlining Pride celebrations and White Party, she’s been a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ equality and was one of the first celebrities to speak out raising awareness about HIV/AIDS when so many were silent.
In 2020, when most Pride festivals were canceled due to the pandemic, Paula didn’t want the celebrations of love and inclusion to be silenced and remade the music video to her 1992 single “Will You Marry Me” using wedding and engagement footage of queer fans taken during quarantine.
For these and countless other reasons is why Paula Abdul will be forever our girl. We are excited to honor her with the very special Straight Up Ally Award at the 12th annual Queerties Awards.