After last Friday’s historic Supreme Court decision, the 2013 Tony Award winning star of Kinky Boots, Billy Porter, shared some inspiring words with the audience after the curtain call.
In case you are just waking up from a coma (and if so, welcome back and a speedy recovery to you), on June 26, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of nationally recognized marriage equality. This decision gives same-sex couples the right to legally marry in every state of the Union.
In his speech, Billy Porter speaks of two major glass ceilings that he grew up with; the first that a black kid could never grow up to be President, and the second being that his love did not matter. To see both broken in one lifetime brought tears of joy to Porter and much of the audience.
To be black and gay in this country is often one of the most doubly burdensome things. Put quite succinctly: with either of these adjectives, the system sees you as less than. The system wants you quiet. The system wants you dead. In the wake of compounding tragedies against people of color and the LGBTQIA community, this Supreme Court Ruling, this show, this actor, this moment in time is a much needed glimmer of hope on the long and arduous road to freedom.
Here is Billy Porter’s full speech:
