Christina Aguilera hits out at ‘Don’t Say Gay’ during Brighton Pride performance
Christina Aguilera’s headline set at Brighton Pride took aim at ‘Don’t Say Gay’. (Twitter)
Christina Aguilera hit out at Florida’s hateful ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law during her headline Brighton Pride performance.
Aguilera headlined Brighton Pride on Saturday (6 August), blessing fans with her greatest hits from the stage in Preston Park, including “Dirty”, “Genie in a Bottle”, “Express”, and the queer anthem “Beautiful”.
While performing “Glam”, Aguilera was joined on stage by Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash.
What an amazing few days.
From going backstage at @theo2 to meet @xtina herself to watching her live from the front row for the 3rd time to seeing her headline the 30th annual Brighton Pride. This weekend has been incredible. pic.twitter.com/YFLCqvECQy
— It's…..Darren Collier's account🌱💙 (@DarrenCollier86) August 7, 2022
Express. Brighton pride @xtina pic.twitter.com/5VIX56bOlF— martin bautista (@MartinBautista9) August 7, 2022
But Aguilera also used the opportunity to take a strong stand for LGBTQ+ rights, hitting out at the Florida law ‘Don’t Say Gay’.
The law, which went into effect in July, bans public school teachers from engaging in “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” and has been blasted for the harm it will cause to queer kids in the state.
As a video montage describing the law’s impact played on the stage, dancers held up signs that read: “Say gay.”
The montage continued, telling the crowd: “So today, in honour of Pride, let us shout.” As the entire audience screamed “gay”, the performers flipped their signs to reveal the words “love,” “freedom,” “peace,” “unity,” “identity” and “equality”.
.@xtina just used her headline set at @PrideBrighton to slam Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. 🏳️🌈#BrightonPride pic.twitter.com/yA034QIGAH— Attitude Magazine (@AttitudeMag) August 6, 2022
Aguilera’s set ended on a poignant note, as she performed her 2002 hit “Beautiful” while wrapped in a progress Pride flag.
The LGBTQ+ community was thrilled to be back at Brighton Pride, one of the biggest Pride celebrations in the UK, for its 30th anniversary, after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Saturday, it is estimated that around 300,000 Pride-goers both celebrated and protested, with Ukrainian flags joining Pride flags in the parade calling for an end to Russia’s assault on the country.
At @PrideBrighton in solidarity with #Ukraine against Russian aggression
@UKRAINE_PRIDE_ @KyivPride @KharkivPride @UkraineSol @BiancaJagger @J_Bloodworth @RonanLTynan @OzKaterji @OwenJones84 pic.twitter.com/VpVVPJo0pg— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) August 6, 2022
After three years away, everyone got into the spirit of #BrightonPride at the parade earlier.
We were on the parade route talking to people in the crowd who were dressed in everything from rainbows and glitter, to leather and chains! 🌈
#CapitalReports pic.twitter.com/vS6IyQOSod
— Capital S Coast News (@CapitalSCNews) August 6, 2022
The #BrightonPride parade was amazing! 🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/ba0sPc8Ubm— Peter Kyle (@peterkyle) August 6, 2022
The revelry continues on Sunday (7 August), with Paloma Faith headlining.
Part of the event this year was Brighton Pride’s #WeStandTogether campaign, which called for the LGBTQ+ community to campaign against all kinds of discrimination.
Specifically, organisers called for reform of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban, greater awareness of worldwide LGBTQ+ human rights, and for the UK to be a safe haven for LGBTQ+ refugees.
