Lizzo Voices Support for Trans, Reproductive Rights in Home State of Texas
Lizzo has always been a vocal LGBTQ ally, and now the singer and rapper is taking a stand for the trans community in her home state of Texas. During her keynote speech at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival, she criticized Texas leaders for their recent move to rebrand gender-affirming care for trans youth as child abuse.
“I’m proud to rep Houston, but I’m not proud to rep Texas politics right now,” Lizzo says. “There are very regressive laws being passed. They’re taking away the right for young children to have a chance to live authentically as themselves. It’s a violation of human rights. Trans rights are human rights.”
Lizzo also discussed the state’s abortion ban, which banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy (around the time a fetal heartbeat is detected), when many people are unaware they are even pregnant. Senate Bill 8 additionally allows for private citizens to report any person seeking out an abortion after six weeks for a $10,000 bounty and prompted a slew of anti-choice bills across the country. She blasted conservative politicians for being “all up in your uterus,” calling the ban “atrocious.”
“Mind your business,” she says. “Stay out of my body. This is not political.”
Queer folks across the country were outraged over Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s comments last month, which urged citizens and child protective services to report families who support their trans children in their gender transition.
“We got a lot of other things that we need,” Lizzo says. “There are people in charge who can change things on a systemic level, and they’re letting us down.”
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The pop sensation wasn’t the only one at SXSW to call out Texas’ recent legislative moves; others like Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Texas democratic governor nominee Beto O’Rourke used the speaking platforms at the festival to criticize the moves from Abbott and his supporters.
Lizzo also discussed her new reality competition series, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, which premieres on Amazon on March 24. The show will seek out plus-size backup dancers and models, with an additional aim of opening doors and representation for people with larger bodies.
“I used to get called fat ass every single day on the bus … They don’t set us up to see our value and our worth, especially as Black women, especially as big Black women,” Lizzo says, adding that she is eager to lift up the women on her show. “I hope they all become superstars after this.”
Screenshot courtesy of Lizzo on Instagram
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