History has been made! The first royal has appeared on the cover of a gay magazine – and it is none other than Prince William himself.
His Royal Highness has been featured on the front of Attitude, a lifestyle magazine for those in the LGBT+ community, speaking out against homophobia and bullying.
The cover photo was taken by photographer Leigh Keily, and the great shot displays a cheerful, relaxed William, laughing and smiling.
Inside, the Prince William is interviewed and he wastes no time in hitting out at bullies who specifically target the gay community, saying: “No one should be bullied for their sexuality.” He advises the young people who are being bullied for who they are to get help.
This all came about after the Prince broadcasted the fact that he would be in Attitude‘s July issue after signing a book for victims of the Orlando mass shooting which occurred this past weekend.
He said: “The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now.”
“Their sense of strength and optimism should give us all encouragement to stand up to bullying wherever we see it.”
“What I would say to any young person reading this who’s being bullied for their sexuality: don’t put up with it.”
“You should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
A spokesman for Kensington Palace also stated: “The Duke of Cambridge is working hard to support the fight against bullying and to help break the stigma around mental health.”
“He has established a taskforce on the prevention of cyberbullying and along with The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry is leading the Heads Together campaign on mental health and well-being.”
“He knows that LGBT young people suffer unacceptably high rates of bullying and he was grateful to Attitude for facilitating such a serious conversation on this topic. He was moved by the stories he heard and impressed by the positivity and courage of the people he met.”
William asked Attitude to bring LGBT+ community members to Kensington Palace back in May to listen and understand their experience of bullying which can lead to mental health problems.
The group spoke about their own experiences of bullying because of how they identify and how this has led to such things as low self-esteem and mental health problems such as – eating disorders, suicide attempts, drug addiction and depression
The editor of Attitude, Matthew Todd, praised William’s decision to do this: “During my time as editor of Attitude I have met parents whose child has taken or lost their life after being bullied for being LGBT+ or even just perceived to be LGBT.”
“I am very happy that the future King of The United Kingdom agrees this must stop and I would urge parents in particular to raise their voices in their communities to ensure that every school protects – really protects – all children.”
Established in 1994, Attitude is the UK’s biggest-selling gay magazine with about 60,000 issues per month, including online.
The magazine has featured many straight famous people on its cover as well as those who are openly gay.
Over the years, famous figures such as Lady Gaga, Prime Minister David Cameron, George Clooney and more have also appeared on the cover of Attitude just like William.
This historical movement comes just days after the tragic mass shooting of LGBT+ people in Orlando at Pulse nightclub this past weekend which left 49 people dead and many others injured.
Attitude send their “most heartfelt condolences to those affected by this atrocity”.
In what seems like a dark time right now for LGBT+ people, this piece of history is a beacon of hope to show that there are positive attitudes and love to be found in the darkness.
The magazine will be on the newsstands Thursday if you want to pick up your copy!
What do you think about this history in the making? Let us know @CelebMix!