Entertainment

Lizzo Gave A Speech About Allyship At Pride That Deserves To Be Shouted From The Rooftops

by Parry Ernsberger
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Lizzo is many things. She's a singer, rapper, flautist, a body-positive goddess. She's 100% percent that b*tch, and she's a true ally for the queer community. While performing on June 9 at Sacramento Pride, Lizzo shared an important message about allyship on Instagram, and it pretty much deserves all of the applause. Seriously, though — what she said to the crowd wasn't just true, it was powerful and definitely worth repeating.

Lizzo was the headlining artist at Sacramento's Pride celebrations this year, and it's safe to say that she straight-up brought it. Big time. At one point during her show, she decided to pause and address the crowd.

The rapper posted a short clip of her mid-show speech to Instagram on June 10, and added a caption that read,

"Just your daily reminder that black trans women need to be protected & prioritized. We ain’t free till we ALL free. Thank you for choosing me, I don’t take my allyship lightly."

Clad in a shimmering, hot pink leotard with a fringe-lined skirt, Lizzo began by showing appreciation for her platform as a celebrity. Behind her were three dancers, and each of them had a different message. One read, "Black Lives Matter;" another read, "Trans Rights;" and the third simply read, "Period." Amen.

She then went on to advocate,

"I want to take a second to say that black lives matter, trans lives matter, and if we're going to celebrate Pride, we need to keep that message three-sixty-five. I want you to carry that pride everywhere that you go, no matter what uniform that you're in — you carry that pride and that love for this community."

Obviously, the crowd was loving everything she said, and they full-on erupted with cheers and applause.

Lizzo has been super vocal about her love and appreciation for the queer community in the past. Back in April, she was interviewed by Sam Smith for V Magazine, and explained to the singer that, "LGBTQ people lifted me up and got me to this point. I have nothing but love for them."

"I just feel so humbled because I believe that all marginalized people have the experience of feeling unwanted and not being able to just f*cking live our lives," Lizzo continued to tell Smith. "I think we all have that common thread—we can look at each other on the sidelines and nod, like, b*tch I feel you. We all feel each other on a certain level."

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She also made a point of telling Smith that "my movement is for everyone. It’s about inclusion. And if I am going to fight what I have been marginalized for, I am going to fight for all marginalized people." Wow, yes, *bows down and chants, "We're not worthy"*

While it's certainly not a requirement for celebrities to use the platform they've been given to advocate for important issues and the under-represented, it sure is nice when they do, isn't it? Lizzo's speech at Sacramento Pride — and the accompanying message she wrote in the caption — was so well-said, and clearly straight from her heart. It's definitely worth shouting from the rooftops, so excuse me while I go do that now.