Chris Polk/E! Entertainment/NBC/Getty Images
Lizzo Brought Trans Activists on Stage With Her at the People's Choice Awards
"Power will always be to the people."
Proving that she truly practices what she preaches when it comes to community empowerment, Lizzo used her acceptance speech at the People's Choice Awards to champion a diverse coalition of activists, including two trans activists.
The singer received two awards at the ceremony, which took place in Santa Monica on Tuesday. Both were equally deserved: The first was Song of the Year for "About Damn Time," with the second being the People's Champion award. According to Billboard, the honor recognizes someone who "uses their platform to fight important social causes and embodies being a champion of the people."
When Lizzo took the stage, introduced by her mother, she almost immediately proved that she was deserving of the title, stating, "Imma be honest, when I first heard about this award, I was on the fence about whether I should accept. Because if I'm the people's champ, I don't need a trophy for championing people."
True to her word, the singer spent the next five minutes of her speech "sharing this honor," encouraging the audience to make some noise for various activists and people. They included Jayla Rose Sullivan, who Lizzo described as "a professionally trained dancer who is making sure there's space for transgender and nonbinary performers in the dance community."
"Watch out for that big girl!" she said, alluding to Sullivan's participation in the singer's reality show, Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, in which a group of women competed against each other to become backup dancers for Lizzo.
Proving that the array of issues that count as trans advocacy is vast, Lizzo also gave a shoutout to Chandi Moore, who works as a community health educator at Children's Health Hospital in Los Angeles, "giving trans and gender nonconforming youth the tools they need to live their lives as their authentic selves," in the singer's words. Moore has worked as a health educator for the hospital's trans youth program since June 2013, in addition to working in HIV testing and counseling.
Lizzo Had Choice Words for Kanye West After He Insulted Her Weight
"I'm minding my fat Black beautiful business."
"Power will always be to the people," Lizzo said at the conclusion of her speech, encouraging viewers to follow the activists and support them. This isn't the first time the "Truth Hurts" singer has used her platform to speak out for trans rights either: In a MarchSouth by Southwest panel, she slammed Texas governor Greg Abbott's directive to have parents of trans children investigated as child abusers. "They're taking away the right for young children to have a chance to live authentically as themselves," she said at the time. "It's a violation of human rights. Trans rights are human rights."
Considering that very few other celebrities have used their platforms to speak out explicitly against the ongoing attacks on trans people in the U.S., especially trans youth, Lizzo's dedication to truly being an advocate for the people makes her more than deserving of this award in our books.
TagsLizzoawardslgbtq activismactivist
Lizzo Played a Dead President's 200-Year-Old Crystal Flute Onstage
Lizzo and Rihanna Have Been Getting Flirty in Each Other's DMs
"T4T Heaven": Sundance Award-Winner Lío Mehiel on the Making of Mutt