“We are not alone in this, and we need you now more than ever,” Kesha told fans at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day 2022, held outside New York City’s historic Stonewall Inn
Kesha is urging her fans to be who they “R” this Pride month.
During the pop star’s headlining performance at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day 2022 in New York City on Friday, she took time to celebrate her LGBTQ+ fans and speak about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent reversal of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that granted women the right to abortion nationwide.
The afternoon event was held outside the historic Stonewall Inn, located in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, where a 1969 police raid caused an uprising that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Earlier in the day, a group including New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Chuck Schumer broke ground on what will become the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, the first-ever LGBTQ+ visitor center in the U.S. national parks system.
Donning blue hair and a black leotard ensemble covered in stars strung together by chains, Kesha, 25, told the crowd, “Happy, happy f—ing Pride,” after opening her four-track set with 2011’s “Cannibal.”
“I’m so honored, I’m so excited, I’m so humbled to be here celebrating Pride. This ground is historic. This is legendary. This is sacred,” she said onstage. “I know that they broke ground this morning to make the first LGBTQ+ visitor center that’s part of the National Parks in America, so can we just take a moment to appreciate that we get to be dancing on this ground?”
Kesha continued, “It wasn’t always like that. This started as a protest. This started as a riot. People did not always get to be who they are and celebrate it in this street, and we are very f—in’ lucky.”
She then addressed the SCOTUS decision, which was made Friday morning and allows states to ban people from getting abortions. “I also have to say, with the Supreme Court ruling, overturning Roe v. Wade today, I don’t want to bring down the mood, but it’s important that we understand that we are a family,” said Kesha.
“Look around. These are our brothers and our f—ing sisters. We need each other. We are not alone in this, and we need you now more than ever. We all need to stick together, and we really need to remember that this s— was punk,” the Grammy-nominated musician added. “This was not easy. This is not going to be easy, and we are not done fighting. But today we’re here to celebrate who the f— we are. We are who we are!”
The speech led into a performance of 2011’s “We R Who We R,” during which Kesha — who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community — shared a personal story about struggling to feel accepted until she connected with her fanbase upon the release of 2009’s chart-topping hit “TiK ToK.”
“You know, when I was a little girl, I felt so f—ing alone. There was nowhere I belonged,” explained Kesha. “And when my first song came out, I found my f—ing family, and I want you all to know — here you are safe. Here, I want you to free yourself. You’re f—ing home, and I will stand for equality until I’m six f—ing feet underground.”
Accompanied by two dancers, Kesha then performed “TiK ToK” before concluding her set with a confetti-filled rendition of 2011’s “Blow,” adding a rainbow fringe leather jacket to her outfit and wishing the audience another “Happy f—ing Pride” on her way off the stage.
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