Billy Porter is being legendary, as per usual.
Forget Tr*mp’s State of the Union address, although not the part where Nancy Pelosi tore it up, and instead listen to the words of a true icon: Billy Porter.
For Logo TV, the Pose star has once again delivered the State of the LGBTQ Union address. In the video, he starts by telling us: “Last year, I told you that the state of our union is strong, and while it certainly has been battered, our union is far from broken.
“Now, and [in] 2020, our responsibility as citizens has never been more evident. Our nation is facing one of the biggest crises of my lifetime, but this year you and I have the chance to course correct.”
Speaking about the current president of the United States, Porter said: “So far, our nation has survived the first term of Donald Trump, but who’s to say what another term would do this country, to democracy, and truly to the entire world.
“Donald J. Trump has painted himself as a friend of the LGBTQ community, while revealing his true colours at every malicious turn.”
Porter address the ban on transgender members serving in the military, highlighting how Tr*mp banned them “with a tweet.” He also highlighted how the president had expanded the ‘consciousness rule’ to allow healthcare providers to discriminate against queer people and how he’d “gutted protections for federally funded homeless shelters for trans people.”
And Porter wasn’t done there, highlighting how Tr*mp had stacked federal benches with anti-LGBTQ judges, meaning his anti-LGBTQ legacy will remain after his presidency.
He also highlighted hate crimes figures against the LGBTQ community and how 2019 was the deadliest year on record for trans murders, and noted the murder of Dustin Parker on New Year’s Day.
In the address, Porter also noted the “normalisation” of white supremacy, a lack of action on climate change and gun control.
He also looked internationally, including the gay ‘purge’ in Chechnya, and the outcry over Brunei’s stoning law. But he highlighted positive stories including the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Ecuador and Northern Ireland and Brazil banning homophobia and transphobia.
He also highlighted positive stories in the US like Utah banning gay ‘conversion’ therapy, New Jersey teaching LGBTQ history in public schools, and Pete Buttigieg standing as the first known openly gay Democratic nominee for president.
He finished by saying: “The category is: Living our best lives, on and off screen. Every act of kindness is a blow against cruelty, every act of empathy is a blow against bigotry, every act of courage is a blow against cowardly self-interest and every act of love is a blow against hate.
“We may have a tough fight against us, but I know we can win it. We have no other choice but to win it. We have far more that connects us, than what sets us apart. We are all responsible for the country and world in which we want to live and therefore we are all responsible for each other.
“So, love one another, take care of one another, and let’s secure the future for those who will inherit.”
Watch Porter’s State of the LGBTQ Union below, or by following the link here.
Latest
