The US House of Representatives have passed the Equality Act that prohibits LGBT discrimination of any form, last week (26th Feb). Celebrating this massive political advancement, we’re moving forward into more acceptance, more love and more pride. But the society still has a lot of ground to cover. Cue – happy dance.
While a lot of us feel warm and fuzzy in our hearts when a beloved star comes out proudly as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, there’s still a lot of negativity around. It takes courage to come to terms with your own sexuality & connection to your true body; and when the world around shuns the concept of love, at its purest, it breaks your heart.
So, when Oscar nominated Eliot Page, star of X-men, Inception and The Umbrella Academy, opened up about identifying as trans, the world had a lot to talk about.
Eliot posted a heart-warming letter on social media, saying that ‘despite feeling profoundly happy, I am also scared. I’m scared of invasiveness, hate, the “jokes” and of violence.’ Eliot’s wife of three years Emma Portner supported his social coming out, and they both confirmed getting a cordial divorce soon after.
Trolls will be trolls, though. People went on to comment negatively on Emma’s supporting messages. She reverted saying, ‘Release your labels of me. I am as fluid as can be.’
Meanwhile, popular teen star JoJo Siwa came out in a whopping post singing Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’. We have loved this glitter queen since she was a kid, so it wasn’t really a surprise that her revelations went viral instantly. Her 54 million followers (and more) consist mostly of elementary schoolers, who saw a 17-year-old icon embracing love as it is.
She was heard saying (on social media), ‘I always loved the person – if it were a guy, great! If it were a girl, great!’ But again, there was some who lashed back. Someone wrote on her post ‘My daughter will never watch you again’ to which she replied a merry ‘Okay!’.
Its stars like Eliot and JoJo who truly pave the way for people who’re stuck in a web of fear and unacceptance, and we’re giving them a big shout-out. Bring forth your love, for others and for yourself. Cheers to pride! From the Beauty Book team.
