Singer Halsey has left a roomful of fans feeling empowered after delivering a scathing speech against the recent attack on a lesbian couple on a London bus.
The bisexual pop star wore a t-shirt with a photo of the women, bloodied and bruised, on the front - and "F*ck your straight pride" on the back, a reference to the 'Straight Pride' parade being planned in Massachusetts.
In a powerful moment filmed by an audience member and shared online, the singer addressed the violent incident, saying: “Do you guys see the two young women on my shirt? Do you know who they are? The two people on my shirt are a young couple named Melania and Chris.”
She explained: “A couple nights ago, right here, they were assaulted because they’re lesbians, because they gave the appearance of being lesbians.”
She continued: “The sad reality is that after the Pride parades are over and after the bars close their Pride nights, when the glitter’s being swept out of the streets, a lot of people get on those trains and they get on those buses and they try to wash the rainbows off their bodies and they peel the stickers off their clothes because when Pride is over, it’s not safe to be gay anymore. Because they are worried that someone is going to viciously assault them or viciously attack them.”
Halsey then tackled the proposed 'Straight Pride' parade set to take place in the US on August 31.
“So when the people around the world ask: ‘Why isn’t there a straight pride parade?’” she said. “The answer is because if there was one, you wouldn’t have to get on the bus and be terrified of being f*cking beaten or killed afterwards. That’s why there’s not a straight pride parade.
“Because every f*cking day on public transport is a straight pride parade.”
