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These celebs proudly promote equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
By Sanika Nalgirkar — Written on May 10, 2022
As celebrities are always in the attention of the public, they have to be careful of how they act. Celebs can quite easily become a part of a scandal or get in trouble.
Given their power, they also have the chance to do something good or become a good influence on people.
Many celebs have spoken out on real issues and taken a stand when needed. One of the issues that remains a stigma within society is LGBTQ+ rights.
Over the years, many people have spoken about their support for the LGBTQ+ community and done things to promote it. Similarly, celebs have also shown outrage and spoken against homophobia when needed.
Here are some celebrities who have spoken against homophobia.
1. Daniel Radcliffe: J.K. Rowling's transphobic tweets.
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The ‘Harry Potter’ actor has shown his support for the LGBTQ+ community multiple times. Radcliffe has supported The Trevor Project since 2009, according to MTV news.
The Trevor Project is a suicide prevention hotline for the LGBTQ+ community. It provides support to youth who have been having trouble with their sexuality.
Radcliffe has often spoken in support of the LGBTQ+ community when appearing at public events for The Trevor Project. In 2011, he was also awarded the Trevor Project Hero Award for being an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
Radcliffe also spoke out against J.K. Rowling when her Transphobic tweets went viral. He wrote a blog post on The Trevor Project’s website showing his support for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I,” he wrote.
In addition, he acknowledged that Rowling had a significant influence on his career, however, he felt the need to say something in that situation.
2. Lady Gaga: Russia's anti-LGBTQ law.
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Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga has been quite vocal about her support for the LGBTQ+ community over the years.
When Lady Gaga won the ‘Video of the year’ award at the Much Music Video Awards in 2009, she showed her gratitude for the LGBTQ+ community. When asked who she would like to thank for the award. She said, “To god and the gays.”
She also faced some trouble after promoting gay rights at one of her concerts in Russia.
According to Reuters, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin was taking legal action against the ‘Poker Face’ singer. Russia has an anti-gay propaganda law and as Lady Gaga was promoting gay rights at her concert, she was seen as breaking the law of the country.
Lady Gaga mentioned that her managers had gotten a call saying that the singer would be arrested or fined $50,000 if she continued to show her support for the LGBTQ community.
According to NBC News, a year later, Lady Gaga spoke against an anti-LGBTQ law that was passed in Russia where promoting gay rights was banned.
She tweeted, ”The Russian government is criminal. Oppression will be met with revolution. Russian LGBTs you are not alone. We will fight for your freedom.”
3. Ariana Grande: Florida's "Don't Say Gay Bill".
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Grande had been a proud believer in her faith as a Roman Catholic, however, she lost her faith after an incident where she was told that being gay is a sin, according to Metro.
She mentioned, “I was born Roman Catholic but I lost faith when the Pope decided to tell me everything I loved and believed in was wrong.”
After that, she started losing her faith and wasn't able to believe in her faith any more.
She further mentioned, “[The church] said Spongebob Squarepants is gay and he’s a sinner and he should burn in hell. And Harry Potter was a sin…It was a moment for me. I needed something else to believe in.”
According to Billboard, Grande also spoke out against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was passed in Florida. It's a law that restricts teachers from discussing the LGBTQ+ community in schools.
Grande took it to her Instagram to raise her voice against that. She shared a post of the news on her Instagram stories along with a caption. She wrote, “really disgusting.”
4. Dua Lipa: DaBaby's homophobic comments.
Photo: Ben Houdijk | Shutterstock
Dua Lipa believes that it is her ‘duty’ to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. In an interview with Attitude, she opened up about her support for the LGBTQ+ community.
She said, “I have a massive group of friends and [members of] my team who are part of the LGBTQ community, who have inspired me so much and taught me so much – they’re all my role models in life.”
She also mentioned that she doesn’t support LGBTQ+ rights just because she has friends in that community. She said, “It’s something I feel very connected to and will continue to fight for.”
According to People, Dua Lipa also slammed DaBaby when he made homophobic comments during a music festival about the LGBTQ community and people who have HIV/AIDS.
Even though she had worked with DaBaby on her hit song, ‘Levitating’, she felt the need to speak up. She posted on her Instagram stories expressing her outrage at DaBaby’s comments.
She wrote, "I'm surprised and horrified at DaBaby's comments. I really don't recognize this as the person I worked with."
Photo: Dua Lipa/Instagram
5. Billy Porter: Brutality against black gay and trans people participating in the Black Lives Matter protests.
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As a gay actor, Porter has addressed his support for the LGBTQ+ community on multiple occasions. In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Porter spoke out against homophobia and transphobia within the community.
He also spoke about his experiences as a black gay man in the LGBTQ+ community and encouraged other people to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
He said, “We can do it together, but we can’t do it until we embrace and love each other through our differences, because of our differences.”
Porter also posted a video on his social media account during the Black Lives Matter protests. He spoke about the brutality black gay and trans people faced when participating in the protests.
He said, “LGBTQ+ Black folks are Black people, too! Our lives matter, too! So this is my response to those of y'all who don't understand that: F-ck you! And, yes, I am cussing. It's time for cussing.”
6. Beyonce: North Carolina's "Bathroom Bill".
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The ‘Lemonade’ singer has always promoted equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. According to Elle, some of the things she has done include portraying same-sex couples in her music videos and hiring a transgender actor, Laverne Cox, as a model for her clothing line.
She has also won a GLAAD Vanguard Award for promoting LGBTQ+ rights. She said, “We’re here to promote love for every human being, and change starts from supporting the people closest to you. So let’s tell them they are loved.”
She also showed her support when a law that would protect gay and transgender people was restricted.
In 2016, she criticized North Carolina’s "Bathroom Bill" on her website. Earlier in the year, Charlotte introduced a decree that would allow trans people to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. However, that law was overruled and instead the "Bathroom Bill" was passed that denies bathroom use by transgender identity.
Beyonce showed her support for Equality NC, an organization working on getting the bill overturned and asked others to show their support.
Sanika Nalgirkar is a writer who covers entertainment & news, lifestyle, and pop culture topics.