The 2025 Grammy Awards took place Sunday night in Los Angeles amid crises for both the city and the country’s transgender community.

In the wake of last month’s unprecedented fires, the Grammys telecast, which aired on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena, doubled as a fundraising effort for MusiCares Fire Relief, while several of the night’s big winners used their platform to draw attention to the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on trans rights and broader diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in both the federal government and the private sector.

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“Don’t give up the Fight!” the pop star and LGBTQ+ ally wrote on social media.

Early in the evening, out pop phenomenon Chappell Roan — who later won the Grammy for Best New Artist — delivered a clear-eyed but hopeful message to the nation’s transgender community.

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“It’s brutal right now,” the “Pink Pony Club” singer acknowledged in a red carpet interview with GLAAD, “but trans people have always existed and they will forever exist, and they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away, and that has to be protected more than anything.”

“I would not be here without trans girls,” Roan added. “So, just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you. And I’m trying my best to best to stand up for you in every way that I can.”

Later during the ceremony, Lady Gaga took the stage to accept the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Die with a Smile,” her duet with Bruno Mars from her forthcoming album Mayhem. The “Born This Way” singer used her acceptance speech to deliver her own message to transgender Americans.

“I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible,” the singer said to a standing ovation. “Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”

Elsewhere in the show, Alicia Keys took aim at President Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts via executive orders to dismantle DEI initiatives.

“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” Keys said during her acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift. And the more voices, the more powerful the sound.”

“When destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix,” she continued. “And as you see tonight, music is the unstoppable language that connects us all.”

Roan, Gaga, and Keys’ messages were more than just lip service. According to the Trevor Project, words like theirs can have a real impact, with 79 percent of LGBTQ+ youth reporting that seeing out musicians improved how they feel about their own identity and 71 percent reporting that seeing straight, cisgender celebrities advocate for the LGBTQ+ community did the same.

“When LGBTQ+ young people see themselves reflected and celebrated on a global stage like the Grammys, it sends a powerful message that they belong, their experiences matter, and that they can succeed in spaces as their true, authentic selves,” Kevin Wong, the Trevor Project’s senior vice president of marketing, communications, and content, said in a statement following the telecast. “In addition to having a positive impact on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth, queer visibility in the media also plays a key role in reducing stigma and combating stereotypes surrounding LGBTQ+ people. We are a vibrant and creative community, and we deserve to have our voices heard, our accomplishments celebrated, and our existence validated.”

Roan wasn’t the only out musician to take home a Grammy this year. Among the night’s big winners was St. Vincent, whose songs “Broken Man” and “Flea” won Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Performance respectively, while her album All Born Screaming won Best Alternative Music Album. Meanwhile, Meshell Ndegeocello’s No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin won the Grammy for Best Alternative Jazz Album.

And in perhaps the most notable win of the night, long-time LGBTQ+ ally Beyoncé added her first Grammy for Album of the Year to the 29 she’s already accumulated over the years, along with wins for Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that once again the Recording Academy chose to award comedian Dave Chappelle the Grammy for Best Comedy Album for his anti-trans Netflix special The Dreamer. Chappelle has won the award for three years running, taking home Grammys for recordings of his transphobic Netflix specials The Closer in 2023 and What’s in a Name? in 2024.

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