Last night, singer Halsey wore a t-shirt with a print of the lesbian couple who were assaulted on public transport, to a gig in the area where the assault happened.
She also made a powerful speech to a packed Electric Ballroom, (North London), against homophobia, stating “every day […] is straight pride”. Before encouraging the crowd to shout, “I am not afraid!” in an emotional show of solidarity.
Last week, images of lesbian couple Melania and Chris went viral after a bunch of men beat them on a bus for not kissing each other when they demanded. Halsey wore this image of the front of her t-shirt, with “fuck your straight pride” on the back.
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Halsey told the crowd:
“The sharp reality is, after the Pride parades are over and after the bars close their pride nights, when the glitter is being swept out of the streets, a lot of people get on those trains and they get on those buses and try to wash the glitter off their bodies.
“And they peel the stickers off their clothes, because when Pride is over, it’s not safe to be gay anymore.
“Because they are worried that someone is going to viciously assault them or viciously attack them. So, when people around the world ask them: ‘Why isn’t there a straight Pride parade?’
“The answer is, because if there was one, you wouldn’t have to get on the bus and be terrified of getting fucking beaten up or killed afterwards.
“That’s why there’s no straight Pride parade. Because every fucking day on public transport is a straight Pride parade.”
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One attendee told the Gay Star News: “The entire crowd chanting ‘I will not be afraid’ together felt so so good.
‘You could feel hope in those words but also a lot of anger. It felt like a protest, which is what pride needs more of nowadays in my opinion.”
In conclusion: