5 moments when celebrities who stand for pride and love
It's June and the world is in full-throttle celebrating pride; from our eternal crush Tilda Swinton to the very first openly gay idol in South Korea, Holland.
And in celebration of the rainbow month, we present you these icons, who have stayed strong and courageous and constantly raise their voice in support of love and equality.
It truly does get better!
(Cover photo courtesy: wingshya.com)
Our eternal crush and fashion icon, Tilda Swinton, has always been known as an activist for LGBTQ+ rights.
Back in 2013, the fearless actress defended the LGBTQ+ community in silence (yet more powerful than any words) by sharing a picture of herself holding a Rainbow Flag in front of Moscow Kremlin, with a manned cop car in the background.
It was at a time when Russian federal had just passed the 'Gay propaganda law', criminalizing 'propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships among minors' and people later found out that the bold move of Tilda could have made her facing a 15 days detention in jail.
(Photo courtesy: Twitter @christianhodell)
"If being transgender is something that gets attached to my name throughout my career, then it's for a worthy cause. But I look forward to the day when it doesn't matter."
That was what 24-year-old model Teddy Quinlivan said when she revealed her transgender identity to CNNstyle last September.
This happened in the midst of LGBTQ+ rights in The States going downhill with transgender citizens being banned from military service and with protection towards trans students' civil rights bring repealed.
The model who was at the peak of her fashion career did not hesitate to speak out for herself and the entire LGBTQ+ community.
Her bravery has received support from fellow models and famous designers like Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs and also NGOs like Human Rights Campaign.
(Photo courtesy: Instagram @teddy_quinlivan)
'I thought there's got to be someone like me who disclose their sexual identity', said the 22-year-old rookie and the first-ever openly gay idol in South Korea.
In a country, where non-heterosexual relationship remains a taboo, Holland's coming out is a revolutionary move in the K-Pop culture.
And in his debut song and MV 'Neverland', it portrays the life of a gay man through love and pain, which is Holland's message to LGBTQ+ kids in South Korea to stay strong and know that it gets better.
(Photo courtesy: Instagram @holland_vvv)
One of the Alexander Wang's favourite muses, Belgian model Hanne Gaby Odiele, who walks for major runways from Prada to Dries Van Noten, shares her story growing up as an intersex child.
Born with a non-binary body, Hanne's parents had been suggested by doctors to let their kid undergo 'corrective' surgery to 'fix' her gender.
And until now, children born with intersex traits and their family are still suffering from these unnecessary 'corrective' medical treatments, due to the lack of awareness and knowledge of intersex.
Last year, Hanne joined interAct, a not-for-profit organisation that advocates for the rights of intersex children and raising the visibility of intersex community.
Her decision to come out of the shadows has become a proud and powerful message to intersex children and their families who've been feeling isolated all this time.
(Photo courtesy: Instagram @hannegabysees)
Cara Delevingne, who closed Burberry Fall 2018 runway with a rainbow cape, has always been involved in LGBTQ+ rights and human equality movements.
Last year, the model-turned-actress called out Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein for telling her she can never get a straight character or make it in Hollywood if she continued to date women in public.
Along with the testimony against Harvey Weinstein, Cara encourages women everywhere to never be afraid and to speak up for themselves.
Did you know:
- Pride Month is celebrated each year in June globally to remember the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan.
- Each of the six colours of Rainbow Flags has a meaning: Red for life, Orange for healing, Yellow for sunlight, Green for nature, Blue for harmony, Purple for spirit.
