Billy Porter was seen on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, where he spoke about being part of the LGBTQ+ community and the evolution he hopes it will soon see.
Billy Porter Knows He's In Control Of His Own Empowerment
Billy Porter was featured on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, where he made some very poignant statements about equality to the show's host, Drew Barrymore.
"We have to empower ourselves," Porter explained, via a clip shared on YouTube.
During their conversation, Porter said that while for years, the LGBTQ+ community has been on the hunt for tolerance and acceptance, he has a much better idea of how they should move forward.
Billy Porter Is Done Being Tolerated
According to Porter, he believes it is especially important for the LGBTQ+ community to understand that they need to evolve from conversations of tolerance and move on to conversations about equality and respect.
"You know, especially with LGBTQ and queer people, the conversation for so long has been about acceptance and tolerance. I have a hard time with that because that puts my validation as a human being on this planet in somebody else's hands," he stated.
Billy Porter Doesn't Care About The Validation Of Others
According to Porter, he is not looking for anything from others. In fact, he doesn't care what others think about him. Instead, he simply wants the respect he gives to them to be reciprocated.
"I don't care about your acceptance or your tolerance. What I demand is your respect for my humanity as I respect every single person on this planet. That is the new conversation," he declared.
Billy Porter Was 'Empowered' By His 'Cinderella' Casting In 2020
During an interview with Insider in 2020, Porter reacted to being cast as Cinderella and noted that the remake of the Disney classic was “for a new generation.”
“It’s not about women needing a man for validation,” he explained. “It’s about women empowering themselves, and that’s a really great message to be sending out into the world.”
Although Porter was familiar with the story, he said the impact of the concept was something that didn't truly sink in until he began working on the set.
“That was when it really hit me, the magnitude of what this means,” he shared. “They hired me to be me. That’s just part of this kind of success, is that they’re calling me to now be myself.”
]]>The Inquisitr
