The Vivienne’s legacy has been honoured at Metro’s inaugural Pride Awards
The Vivienne was honoured at the first Metro Pride Awards(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
Late drag queen The Vivienne has been honoured with a posthumous icon award at the first-ever Metro Pride Awards. James Lee Williams, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK performing under their drag name, died at the age of 32 in January.
The TV star’s family accepted the award on their behalf during the London ceremony on Wednesday, hosted by TV and radio presenter Rylan Clark. Last month friends and fans gathered to pay their respects in a vigil at St George’s Hall in Liverpool which was lit up in green in a nod to the drag queen’s role as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard Of Oz musical.
The drag professional finished third on Dancing On Ice in 2023 and was honoured on the skating show when the latest series began in January. Speaking in 2019 before competing in the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the performer explained their name saying: “I love Vivienne Westwood and when I moved to Liverpool everyone used to call me Vivienne as I was head to toe in Westwood.”
The Vivienne performs at Fabuloso In The Park during the Brighton & Hove Pride 2023.(Image: 2023 Lorne Thomson)
Also at the awards, veteran actor and TV presenter Sir Stephen Fry was given the lifetime achievement award, and pop star Anastacia won the metro global recognition award. Among the other winners was singer Will Young, who was presented with the music hero of the year award, and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star GK Barry, who won the rising star gong.
Former editor-in-chief of British Vogue Edward Enninful received the celebrity of the year award while broadcaster of the year went to TV personality Robert Rinder. Rylan, 36, said: “We’ve celebrated the absolutely incredible achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s been a year of highs and lows, glitter and grit and, honestly, it’s like we’re living in the middle of a Drag Race lip-sync battle.
“Some countries seem to be going forward, others well, let’s just say they’re still stuck in the bottom two. But regardless, this was a wonderful event about celebrating what we’ve achieved.”
Executive editor of Metro, Richard Hartley-Parkinson, said: “The Metro Pride Awards provide an important platform to recognise those who are making a real difference in the LGBTQ+ community. It was an inspiring night and we were thrilled to honour so many incredible individuals and organisations who continue to fight for equality. Huge congratulations to all the winners and nominees.”
