Lizzo Sends Love to Nebraska Fans After Anti-Trans & Anti-Abortion Bills Passed: ‘You Are Valid’
Just hours after the Nebraska senate voted to further restrict access to abortion and gender-affirming care for minors, pop superstar Lizzo had something to say about it.
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Performing at Omaha’s Chi Health Center on Friday (May 19), Lizzo paused the show for a moment to talk about the news of the day, according to a fan-captured video of the moment. “There have been some anti-trans laws passed, some anti-abortion laws passed,” a visibly upset Lizzo told her crowd. “And anybody who comes to a Lizzo show should know that I am for people to have the right to healthcare, reproductive and gender-affirming.”
The bill, which is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen later this week, restricts access to abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, and bans gender-affirming surgical procedures for anyone under the age of 19. The bill also stipulates that the state’s chief medical officer will create “limitations” on other forms of gender-affirming care — including hormone therapy and puberty blockers — for minors.
During her speech, Lizzo made it clear that she felt a responsibility to speak out for those who were being directly affected by these bills. “There’s times where I get very political, and as adults, we feel it. But there’s children here tonight,” she said, fighting back tears. “It really breaks my heart that there are young people growing up in a world that doesn’t protect them.”
Shouting into her screaming crowd, Lizzo called out directly to her young fans. “Let me be your safe space tonight and just tell you young people, don’t let anybody tell you who you are. Don’t let any laws tell you who you’re not … You are who you are, OK?” she said. “I see you. You are valid, you deserve to be here in every form. You contain multitudes. These laws are not real — you are what’s real, and you deserve to be protected.”
Watch the full moment from Lizzo’s concert below:
Stephen Daw
Billboard
