Gloria Estefan’s latest honor is one she hopes will soon prove unnecessary

Pop star Gloria Estefan will be honored Saturday, Oct. 7, in Miami Beach at the 2017 National LGBTQ Task Force Gala.

Estefan, the Task Force said, earned the National Leadership Award for her work to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.

The singer-songwriter has been outspoken on issues like immigration equality and marriage equality. She has also become an ally to the LGBTQ community through her partnership with the It Gets Better Project. Estefan and her husband Emilio produced the LGBT-themed movie “A Change of Heart,” which premiered in April at the OUTshine Film Festival in Miami.

“Through her art and culture, she has influenced generations and global communities. She has brought us together to celebrate life through her iconic music and support each other in moments of great difficulty. Her recent work, such as “A Change in Heart,” serves as a testament of her humble beginnings as a Cuban immigrant and as an artist who has always held her LGBTQ fan base in her heart,” said Josue Santiago, chairman of the gala.

Estefan, pausing in the middle of a recording session at the family studios in West Miami-Dade when the honor was announced in August, expressed gratitude but with an eye to the bigger picture.

“I feel incredibly honored to be receiving the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Leadership Award and feel doubly blessed that it will be in my beautiful hometown, Miami Beach,” she said. “I look forward to the day when no task forces are necessary in order to ensure that each individual is considered equal in every respect.”

The 21st annual gala, at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, will be hosted by Broadway actress Andréa Burns, who scored an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for her portrayal of Estefan’s late mom, Gloria Fajardo, in the New York run of “On Your Feet!,” the biomusical of Gloria and Emilio Estefan.

“On Your Feet!” runs Oct. 5 through Oct. 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

“With Andréa Burns hosting and singing, Oct. 7 is going to be one of the most memorable evenings the South Florida LGBTQ community has ever seen,” Santiago, said.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Gloria Estefan’s latest honor is one she hopes will soon prove unnecessary."