It’s not a secret that discrimination is one of the hardest problems we face as a society. Some people will always hate and degrade whatever they don’t see as “normal.” There’s a lot of hate against minorities, such as people of color, foreigners, and even women. Of course, one of the groups hated by some for absolutely no valid reason is the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ people have always gone through hard times. It wasn’t until the last century when their rights finally started being recognized. Even nowadays, there’s a constant fight to give the LGBTQ community the same rights straight people have.
That’s why it’s important when celebrities raise their voices and join the fight for a world where it doesn’t matter who you love, because real love is real love. Here’s just a small percentage of them:
George Clooney
The Oscar-winner actor supports many charities, including the American Foundation for AIDS Research and the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and he even starred a live reading of the play “8” in 2012. When rumors of his sexuality were addressed he gave a flawless answer: “The last thing you’ll ever see me do is to jump up and down, saying, ‘These are lies!’ That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. I’m not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing.”
P!nk
“I think that the best day will be when we no longer talk about being gay or straight — it’s not a ‘gay wedding,’ it’s just a wedding.”
Part of her music video for “Raise Your Glass” took place at her friend’s wedding. “They’ve been the most loyal part of what I do”, she said when asked about her LGBTQ fans. She’s also a strong supporter of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and has made clear her fight for equal rights in numerous occasions, dancing with rainbow flags around the stage and making clear she takes it as a compliment when people call her gay.
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian McKellen is one of the most important LGBTQ icons of our times. Since he came out in 1988, this actor has been fighting for equal rights. He’s a co-founder of the LGBTQ rights charity Stonewall Equality Limited – named after the Stonewall Riots – and a patron of the LGBT History Month. He also fought against Section 28, in which Local Authorities were prohibited from promoting in specified category of schools, “the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” About this he said, “My own participating in that campaign was a focus for people (to) take comfort that if Ian McKellen was on board for this, perhaps it would be all right for other people to be as well, gay and straight.”
Lady Gaga
The singer has always made public her support for the LGBTQ community, from powerful speeches to songs –Remember the line “No matter gay, straight, or bi, Lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track baby I was born to survive” from the hit Born This Way? Her appearances at pride parades and references in her music videos make clear how unafraid she is of fighting for equal rights. Her Born This Way Foundation also fights against bullying in all forms.
Harry Styles
“Here at One Direction we like to celebrate love in all forms. Love is love. And we believe that love is something that should be celebrated with open arms.”
The youngest One Direction member is the one from the band who’s always dancing and running around with rainbow flags from the fans during shows, filling his social networks with rainbow-related stuff and encouraging all his fans and assuring them that love always wins. Styles is not only a supporter of Stonewall Equality Limited, during a concert in 2014, he wore a Michael Sam jersey to show his support to the NFL’s first openly gay player. Also in 2014, recording a video wishing a happy 40 birthday to the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, next year the fans raised over $11,000 for the same helpline in honor of Harry’s 21st birthday. Harry Styles is considered an LGBTQ icon all around the world, and he has shown many times how proud he is of it.
Of course there’s a lot of people missing in this list, such as Brad Pitt, Human Rights Campaign supporter, or Anne Hathaway, It Gets Better Project supporter, but this is a good sign. More and more people are joining the fight, so many that it’s impossible to list every single one of them. Hopefully, all the celebrities who support a cause will continue encouraging people to join the fight, a fight that hasn’t ended yet. There’s still so much to do.
Do you admire someone who supports an LGBTQ charity? tell us at @CelebMix.