Culture

With a few decades of working as an LGBTQ ally under her belt, pop superstar Christina Aguilera is happy to make sure her queer fans feel seen this Pride Month.

On the Tuesday (June 27) episode of Nightline, Aguilera sat down with ABC News correspondent Steve Osunsami to talk about her history with the LGBTQ community, which led to her being honored as a headliner at this year’s Stonewall Day in New York City.

“I’m so appreciative for the ability I have to share and to help other people somehow in their lives,” she said. “That’s the stuff that means the most — Grammys are nice, but things like this brings it back to other people. The greater purpose that we’re kind of all here for its to connect and to, hopefully, spread positivity and unity.”

LGBTQ media advocates often point to the music video for Aguilera’s “Beautiful” as a clear example of representation in art — the clip featured same-sex couples and a transgender woman while Aguilera sings the iconic refrain. “I didn’t even think at the time that it was gonna be controversial,” Aguilera said of the video. “I don’t think anything of those things — I look at people as people. That’s why I’m so anti-judgement and criticizing other people, or having no sympathy or compassion for things that don’t fit the norm inside your own box.”

Aguilera also used her platform in 2008 to actively campaign against California Proposition 8, which aimed to ban same-sex marriage in the state. (The resolution was ultimately overturned in court.) Looking back today on all the critics who told her to “shut up and sing,” Aguilera remained clear in her convictions: “So [my music] is not for you, then. You don’t need to subscribe. I’m doing what I feel is intentionally right for me and what I am here as a greater purpose to do as a human being.”

Check out the full segment from Nightline above, including an inspiring message from LGBTQ activist and icon Victoria Cruz calling for acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

Despite the title of her hit song “Alone,” Kim Petras wants the trans community to know that they are in good company.

During her interview with Alex Cooper on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Petras spoke up about the anti-trans rhetoric spreading around the United States, thanks in no small part to right-wing legislatures passing bills that hurt the community. “It’s brutal how people treat trans people. Everybody deserves to live their lives how they can,” she said. “The judgement around it is still so intense and scary — there’s so much actual murder and things like that happening [to] the trans community that’s really terrifying.”

But Petras added that the attempts to break the community down have only resulted in a sense of further unity. “That’s the one thing that I want people to know — the dolls have each other’s backs,” she said. “There’s so many trans friends of mine that I couldn’t live life without.”

As for her young trans fans who are seeing the rise of this kind of bigotry, Petras offered a simple piece of advice: “Find the people who get you and who support you and focus on that,” she said. “I still get called a man every single day … I know how like horrible that situation can be. Know that like there’s amazing people out there who have all got your back and think you’re really beautiful and you deserve everything. Don’t settle for anything less; I’ve done it, it sucks.”

The “Unholy” singer’s statement comes as legislation targeting queer and trans people in the U.S. reaches an all-time high. The ACLU is currently tracking nearly 500 bills that have been introduced in 2023 alone, the most of any year on record. Many of these bills aim to ban gender-affirming care for minors and occasionally adults, while others aim to make it harder for trans people to update their gender information on government-issued IDs and records, including their birth certificates.

Check out Petras’ full interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast below: