Katy Perry Calls For Justice For Breonna Taylor And Tony McDade In Stonewall Day Speech

June 2020 has been no ordinary Pride Month. What is generally an eye catching commemoration of love, community, and the richness of LGBTQ+ identity has been largely overshadowed by an ongoing pandemic, which has forced gay bars to close, parades to be canceled, and people to celebrate from house. Nevertheless in several ways, it has also been a return to the holiday's protest roots, with several people around the nation taking to the streets to demand justice for Black lives.


Pop idol Katy Perry spoke to the complexities of those intersecting movements in a somber, nevertheless hopeful, address throughout Stonewall Day, the star-studded Pride Live event honoring the anniversary and legacy of the six-day riots in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York that spawned the gay liberation movement. Wearing dangling, rainbow earrings that matched a beam of multi-colored light shrowding her face, Perry's roughly minute-long speech urged virtual viewers to take a stand for the dreams of justice and equality which Pride Month has habitually represented.


"Usually on Pride, I'm thinking: What total banger can I dance to that will fill my heart with joy and mirror the light and love that emanates from the LGBTQ community?" She mentioned. Although this Pride, I'm really focused on ways I can be of service." She continued by addressing the responsibility of these with large platforms to use their visibility to instill positive change. "How can I use my privilege and my platform to support the movement towards justice and equality?" She wondered aloud. "That mission feels more key to me than ever, as I get willing to bring in new life to this world."


Perry, who reported her pregnancy with her fiancé Orlando Bloom in Mach through the the debut of her baby bump-revealing "Never Worn White" music video, particularly empathized with the mothers of these who have been killed at the hands of police. "The wish I have for my child is that she'll be happy, healthy, and safe," she mentioned. "It's the same wish every mother has for their kid. It's the wish that Trayvon's mom had, and Breonna's, and George's, and Tony's. The list is also damn long."


The singer, whose fifth album is slated for release on August 14, has been vocal in her support for the Black Lives Matter movement in recent weeks, memorializing Breonna Taylor — who was killed by Louisville police in her house in March — and urging her social media followers to get to the polls. She has also been a longtime ally to the LGBTQ+ community, launching to fame with her bi-curious anthem "I Kissed a Girl" off her second album, One of the Boys, in 2008. "Truth be told ... I did more than that!" She mentioned in an emotional speech at the 2017 Human Rights Campaign, first up about her own sexual awakening. "Even then I knew that sexuality was not as black and white as this dress."

She doubled down on that solidarity with her Stonewall Day remarks, directly thanking her LGBTQ+ fans for their ongoing support. "Thank you, LGBTQ community, for letting me be segment of your pride and segment of your live," she mentioned. "And know that you inspire me with your strength and your perseverance on Stonewall Day, and day-to-day. Love you." The broadcast also featured scheduled appearances from Taylor Swift, Barack Obama, and more.




Watch Perry's full speech above, and find out more about Stonewall Day — a fundraiser for LGBTQ+ advocacy groups — why as well as how to contribute right here. Stream the whole show by way of the Logo's YouTube and Facebook pages.