The Tony winner spoke about the power and beauty of queerness at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY FLICKR
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo gave a heartfelt speech at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala on 18 May about the power of queerness. Accepting the Rand Schrader Award for achievements in entertainment and advocacy, Cynthia spoke about how her queerness is a “beautiful part” of who she is.
“It is a privilege to be on this stage tonight because for so long, I lived in deep admiration of anyone who could fully embody their true authentic self, wear their queerness like a feather boa, and proudly state this is a beautiful part of who I am,” she told the room at the benefit gala.
The Tony Award winner continued: “I used to say that it felt like I was looking at my own community from inside a glass box. There you all were, vibrant and beautiful, and falling in love, and I had my nose pressed up against the glass, looking out at all of you, separate and apart. It took time for me to outgrow my box.”
“But time is a gift that gives us space to see ourselves clearly enough to know that denying a part of oneself is a disservice to the whole. But now the glass is shattered. And there is no box in sight, and I have walked out into the wide open spaces into the arms of people and it feels like home.”
The queer icon first spoke about her queerness in 2021 following the release of her music video for The Good which was a story about Black queer love. She went on to speak more about her queerness in an interview with British Vogue in 2022.
On the pink carpet at the Gala, Cynthia told PA News: “I am really proud I came out the way I did.”
Starring alongside Ariana Grande in the upcoming movie adaptation of Wicked as Elphaba, Cynthia told the audience at the LGBT Center Gala that standing in front of them “Black, bald-headed, pierced, and queer, I can say I know a thing or two about being the other”.
She continued: “Elphaba’s story is…about how a colourful, powerful, magical woman — despite being disparaged, demonized, and discriminated against — becomes a hero. Wicked is a reclamation and a reimagining of the labels used against her. It is the proclamation of her right to exist in all her power. If that sounds familiar to you colourful, magical people in this room — it should.”
Wicked: Part One will be in theatres on 27 November 2024.
DIVA magazine celebrates 30 years in print in 2024. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
