Keke Palmer, the 28-year-old actor and musician, recently received the Vanguard Award in Los Angeles, where she addressed her gender identity and sexuality.
In her speech, she talked about feeling confused about her identity and not fitting into society’s boxes.
Keke Palmer expressed her struggle with not feeling straight enough, gay enough, woman enough, or man enough. She always felt like she was a little bit of everything, and that confusion led her to lead with masculinity. As a woman, she was met with disdain, which she attributed to feeling like she had to be a certain way to get respect, admiration, and love.
Reflecting on her gender identity, Keke questioned why her gender had to define the power she had in the world and why it had to decide her sexuality. She talked about how she always questioned the boxes she was forced to be in as a child, as a black person, and as a creative.
Keke expressed her gratitude for being seen in the room and being surrounded by people who know what it’s like to decide to be who you are in a world that tells you to be everything but yourself.
The Vanguard Award is presented by GLAAD to media professionals who have made a significant difference in promoting LGBTQ acceptance. Keke Palmer received it for her work in increasing LGBTQ visibility and advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Keke expressed feeling confused about her identity and not fitting into society’s boxes. She talked about feeling like she was a little bit of everything and not feeling straight enough, gay enough, woman enough, or man enough. She also questioned why her gender had to define the power she had in the world and why it had to decide her sexuality.
Keke wanted to encourage people to be true to themselves and not let society’s expectations define them. She talked about how she always questioned the boxes she was forced to be in as a child, as a black person, and as a creative. She expressed her gratitude for being seen in the room and being surrounded by people who know what it’s like to decide to be who you are in a world that tells you to be everything but yourself.
