Billy Porter Billy Porter remembers the AIDS crisis in his powerful speech at Miami Beach Pride
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At a special VIP media event marking the commencement of Miami Beach Pride on Thursday, April 12, renowned Broadway actor and star of Our Son, Billy Porter, was bestowed with the keys to the city of Miami Beach by city commissioner Alex Fernandez, according to ‘Out’.
During his address to Porter, Fernandez expressed:
“For what you signify to all of us, and because you are the key to the happiness and the joy of so many, it's my distinct honor on behalf of our mayor, on behalf of our city commission, but most importantly, on behalf of our residents and our community, to present to you this beautiful key: the key to the city of Miami Beach.”
Upon accepting the honour, the celebrated Pose actor provided an emotive and stirring discourse on the obstacles currently facing the LGBTQ+ community.
“I was 16 years old at the beginning of the AIDS crisis. We didn't have the luxury to hide,” Porter said. “We didn't have the luxury to not be active. We had to go straight to the front lines to fight for our lives, and that's exactly what we did. We came together as a community, we fought back, and we succeeded in. Yes, the world changed because we came together.”
Image Credit: Canva
He elaborated:
“We're now in a position where we must come together again. We must fight the forces of evil that are trying to destroy us. The one thing that I do know, and the one message that I try to exude everywhere I go, is that the change has already happened. We don't have any time for fear. Toni Morrison says, this is precisely the time when artists go to work. There's no need for fear. There's no room for silence. We speak, we write, we do language. This is how civilizations heal.”
“I'm an artist,” Porter added. “The only way I know how to do it is through my art. I am grateful that I can do it through my art. I am grateful that the people are receiving that, that you are receiving what it is that I'm trying to do. (…) Coming from the civil rights movement, you know, there's a song called 'A Change Is Gonna Come.' I love that song, but the change came, and the change went. What are we gonna do now?”
“It's time for all of us to come together and figure out what 'going high' looks like in this new world order. It is not 1963. We cannot use the same tactics. I am not a politician, so I don't know what the answer is. But it's not what we're doing now. It's time to re-engage. It's time to pay attention again. It's time to get in these streets again. This is not a parade, it's a march. That's what it was when we started. This march [is] political.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Billy Porter To Play James Baldwin In Upcoming Biopic
Billy Porter Is A “Free Man” Since Announcing HIV Positive Status: “I’ve Never Felt Joy Like This”
Billy Porter To Direct First Movie ‘What If?’, A Coming Of Age Tale
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