an incomplete history of celebrities yelling “gay rights!”
In honor of Pride Month.
2020 was a strange Pride Month for certain. No parades, no backyard parties, just a Zoom link, a YouTube playlist and a handful of friends around the country dancing in front of our cameras, testing the stamina of our aging ankles and our dwindling tolerance for alcohol and staying up past midnight. (Honestly, it may have been my favorite Pride in recent memory?)
This Pride Month felt different for another reason though. The ongoing protests in response to a police officer’s murder of George Floyd has prompted important questions within the queer community, too. Locally this was evidenced by the incredible work of the Chicago Black Drag Council and the well-deserved pushback against an ultimately-canceled Pride protest purportedly on behalf of Black trans women that was, however, not led or organized by any Black trans women. Meanwhile, Slo ‘Mo, OTV, Reunion Chicago and others joined forces for the three-day #4theQulture virtual festival in a celebration that centered Black joy in the most beautiful way.
(Sidebar: I’m confident that some progress, too, is even coming in our little ‘burb, as a result of some of the broader conversations that are just beginning to take place around diversity and inclusion in response to the protest movement: Batavia City Hall will likely don a rainbow pride flag next June for the first time ever, thanks to a push from my alderman. A flag is just a piece of fabric, of course, but it’s a start.)
Our community doesn’t have a strong track record on inclusivity, and it’s long past time for a reckoning. It’s inspiring to see Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community stepping up and continuing to reject the status quo in this historic moment.
Now, get ready for a really lousy transition. I was struck in a much more superficial way by a video released by Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live YouTube channel: a seriously chaotic compilation of stars, Bravolebs and anyone else who wanted to participate like Amy Sedaris, Dua Lipa, Dwayne Wade and Hillary Clinton wishing all us queers a happy Pride.
Among the many highlights, for me, was RHOBH star Denise Richards (who is currently embroiled in steamy rumors of an affair with Brandi Glanville) proclaiming “gay rights!” while standing in front of a rainbow flag backdrop with her daughter, and holding her dog.
The endurance of the “gay rights!” Twitter meme gives me simple, unadulterated joy that I can’t fully explain. As George Civeris explored in an essay last year for The Outline (RIP), it all started when a fictional Jennifer Lawrence ad for the FCKH8 campaign against California’s Proposition 8 went viral. The meme grew legs as anyone who was (a) queer, (b) Extremely Online and (c) within a two-foot radius of a mid-level celebrity began to ask them to simply say “gay rights.”
In honor of continuing the spirit of Pride Month, an almost certainly not comprehensive history of a meme spun out of control.. because when there’s a global pandemic, an economic collapse, a rising tide of domestic authoritarianism, a climate crisis and the ongoing battle for racial equality happening all at once, we all need occasional levity, as a treat:
Feb. 10, 2019: As Brian Feldman reported in Intelligencer, the trend really began IRL when The Favourite co-stars Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz were accosted by a fan on the red carpet at the BAFTAs.
April 26, 2019: On this day, Hollywood’s literal fairy godmother Christine Baranski raised a fist and exclaimed “gay rights!”
May 29, 2019: While promoting Booksmart, Olivia Wilde, Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein (with a spirited shoulder shimmy) separately announced “gay rights!”
June 8, 2019: Former Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand takes a sip of something alcoholic to fuel her proclamation of “gay rights!” inside a Des Moines gay bar.
June 17, 2019: Good Omens actor Michael Sheen says “gay rights.” Sorry to this man, but I did not know who he was prior to researching and writing this.
July 27, 2019: Doctor Who star David Tennant, at a meet and greet: “gay rights.” I’ve also never seen this man before I researched this post.
Sept. 14, 2019: At a fan meet-and-greet, Charli XCX screamed “gay rights!” while holding a bottle of poppers.
Oct. 10, 2019: Nearly the entire cast of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix show “The Politician” (remember that?) minus Gwyneth Paltrow marked National Coming Out Eve by announcing “gay rights!” Judith Light adding “forever” to her decree gave me chills.
Oct. 16, 2019: In a video for W Magazine set at a garden tea party, a glowing Kacey Musgraves announces “gay rights!” We can always count on our stoner yeehaw princess.
Oct. 19, 2019: Rocketman star Taron Edgerton joined the battle cry to the delight of whoever originally took this video.
Nov. 25, 2019: Icon of film and screen Natasha Lyonne, seemingly minding her business sitting in a hotel lobby, raises her fist and says “gay rights!” What did we do to deserve her?
Jan. 29, 2020: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney, too, ups the ante and says “gay motherfuckin’ rights!” I don’t watch his show but I’ve got to get credit where it’s due: this is how it’s done.
Feb, 9, 2020: Reporter E. Alex Jung interviewed Laura Dern for a Vulture feature in late 2019, then (thankfully) remembered that he had taken this blessed video clip. The Dernaissance is real and it cannot be stopped.
Happy Pride, one and all.