Charlize Theron Voices Support For Drag Queens & Wants ‘Nonsense’ To Go Away
May 12, 2023 by apost team
Charlize Theron is a South African actress who gained American citizenship in 2007. One of Hollywood’s highest-paid performers, her work has received critical acclaim as well as commercial success. She is the winner of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
The star first rose to fame in the 1990s when she appeared in the films “The Devil’s Advocate,” “Mighty Joe Young” and “The Cider House Rules.” She made waves in 2003 when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for playing serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film “Monster,” becoming the first South African to win an Oscar for an acting category.
In her personal life, Theron is a single parent to two adopted children. She adopted Jackson in March 2012 and August in July 2015. In April 2019, she revealed that Jackson, who was born biologically male, is transgender. She told Daily Mail:
“Yes, I thought she was a boy, too. Until she looked at me when she was 3 years old and said: ‘I am not a boy!’ So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive.”
She added that her priority as a parent was to love and accept her children.
“My job as a parent is to celebrate them and to love them and to make sure that they have everything they need in order to be what they want to be. And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that,” the proud momma said.
Read on to find out how Theron is expanding her message of inclusivity to the wider queer community by taking a stand for drag queens.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video
The queer community and drag queens, in tandem, have been taking a beating of late by recent policy changes across the United States. In Port St. Lucie, Florida, the state’s Pride organization said it was forced to cancel its annual parade due to the increasingly hostile political climate in the lead-up to the likely passing of an anti-drag bill.
In February 2023, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill that effectively bans drag shows in public spaces and anywhere people under 18 years old are present, citing the need to protect minors from being exposed to “sexualized entertainment” or “obscenity.”
As of May 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union was keeping track of 474 anti-LGBTQ bills in the US. “While not all of these bills will become law, they all cause harm for LGBTQ people,” it said. It added lawmakers were targeting LGBTQ rights in domains such as freedom of expression, discrimination in the workplace, access to healthcare and participation in fields such as education and sports.
With a mountain of threats looming over the community, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) released a statement on May 3, 2023, decrying the aggression and rancor present in such political developments.
“Florida’s extremist lawmakers are working overtime to make their state less free and outright dangerous for everyone, especially LGBTQ people, youth and families. They make every citizen and every visitor to Florida vulnerable to discriminatory, baseless criminalization,” it said.
Meanwhile, a Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon was held on May 7, 2023, that was aimed at pushing back against the political tide. Among the celebrities backing the event was Theron, who filmed a testimonial alongside her queer pals to hit back at those seeking to drag the community down.
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In the video, Theron voiced her support for drag queens as they faced fire from political factions.
“We love you queens. We’re in your corner and we’ve got you, and I will f*** anybody up who’s trying to f*** with anything with you guys,” Theron said with gusto and passion.
“There are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, and we all know what I’m talking about right now and it ain’t no drag queen — because if you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip-sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only make you love more, it makes you a better person,” she continued.
“I want to ask everybody out there please, please support all the great organizations that are out there helping all of this nonsense go away like it should. All of these incredibly stupid policies,” she said. She then signed off with an enthusiastic: “No more room for hate, only love, and love equals drag queens!”
Other celebrities who took part in the event include Idina Menzel, Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Jesse Eisenberg and Sarah Hyland.
They were also joined by fellow actress Marcia Gay Harden for the telethon, who revealed how she and her family are invested in the community.
“What drives me is — my children are all queer. My eldest child is non-binary. My son is gay. My youngest is fluid. And you know, they are my kids and they teach me every day,” she said. Harden also took to Instagram to state that “The only thing dangerous about drag is how hot these Queens are! … Gay is here to stay. Drag is here to stay.”
What are your thoughts on Theron’s message? Do you agree or disagree with her? If this story moved you, let us know and don’t forget to pass this on to friends, family and all your allies too!