Janelle Monáe accepted her 2018 Glamour Women of the Year Award on Monday night, November 12, with a moving speech about the responsibility she feels to protect her brothers and sisters in the LGBTQIA+ community. Monáe was honored at the 29th annual ceremony alongside powerhouses like Viola Davis, Chrissy Teigen, and Senator Kamala Harris for accomplishments including a new studio album (her third) that explored deeply intimate topics such as race and sexuality. “I knew that I wanted to embrace all of me,” she said of her album in her Glamour cover story. “The good, the bad, the complicated, the humble, the cocky, the many dimensions of who I was.”

Monáe has also used her platform to speak on issues that matter to her. For example, she's been an outspoken member of the Time's Up movement, telling Glamour, “We are going to have to figure out how to protect each other better than we have been. We have to prioritize that, do a better job of looking after each other. I think we get an F in that. We’re going to have to stop getting lost in our own individualism because we are a [community]. We literally rely on each other to survive.”

Her award was presented by actress MJ Rodriguez, who appeared onstage with Monáe during a Late Show with Stephen Colbert performance over the summer. "Right now, [for] many women like myself, civil rights and even our lives are at risk—and as a woman of color and a woman of the trans experience I will say…we refuse to be erased," Rodriguez said. "And Janelle, this fierce creator, raised in a black, working class neighborhood outside Kansas City, reminds us that just by speaking our truth, we find strength. And by sharing our stories, the song that each of us has in our hearts, we’ll find strength in each other."

"I'm like already in tears," Monáe said, as she stepped on stage at the awards ceremony. "I remember a few years ago coming to this event and being so overwhelmed by the stories these women were telling. I was like, 'Man, I have so much work to do—I wonder if I’ll ever be here. And to be here is a dream.'"

The performer and activist went on to speak about the experience of writing Dirty Computer—starting it when Barack Obama was President and not knowing whether she would be able to finish after the 2016 election—and the feeling of community she brings with her to the entertainment industry.

Read her full inspiring 2018 Women of the Year speech, below.

"Oh my goodness. I am already in tears. I am sorry. Thank you so much, MJ. Thank you so much for saying yes to Pose—I don't know if you guys are fans of that show, but that show has changed my life. I promise to continue to be an ally. I love you so much.

"I just want to thank the entire Glamour magazine team for having me here. Sam [Barry], congrats on your role. Alison Ward... I remember a few years ago coming to this event and being so overwhelmed by these women were telling. I was like, 'Man, I have so much work to do. I wonder if I’ll ever be here.' And to be here is a dream.

"I want to thank my Wonderland team for supporting me through the years. I have written many albums throughout the years, and you couldn't be a better team.

"Congrats to every woman who I’m sharing the night with. That is the coolest thing, to be in this tribe. This is a tribe that when I get down, when I don't know what to say, I can look to you for inspiration. I can look to you, wipe my tears, get up, and keep on moving. Congrats, I'm honored to share this night.