Human Rights Campaign to Honor Cynthia Erivo for “Expanding Visibility” of LGBTQ+ Community
The Human Rights Campaign is doubling down on Cynthia Erivo
The Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning talent has been tapped to receive the National Equality Award at the organization’s national dinner scheduled to take place at Washington D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Sept. 7. Erivo, who stars opposite Ariana Grande in Universal Pictures’ upcoming two-part musical Wicked for helmer Jon M. Chu, previously received the HRC Ally for Equality Award at the org’s Atlanta gala in 2019.
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HRC has booked a fellow Tony and Grammy winner, Leslie Odom Jr. to present the honor, which will recognize “her incredible work expanding visibility for the LGBTQ+ community, using her powerful voice to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and inspire the next generation of LGBTQ+ stars onstage and screen,” per HRC. Erivo and Odom co-starred in the Lionsgate release Needle in a Timestack. Fellow honorees speakers and presenters will be announced at a later date.
Erivo called it an incredible honor to be recognized once again by HRC. “Being Black and queer and femme, I deeply understand that there is beauty in intersectionality and the more those voices are given the space to grow and thrive, the closer we get to acceptance of one another as we are. LGBTQ+ people need to see themselves reflected on and off the stage and screen, showing that there are no limits to the heights we can ascend to. I want to continue to use my voice, share my story and to help others share theirs too, and I hope I can be an example of what it could look like when you show up every day as your whole self. The road is not easy, but it is deeply satisfying.”
HRC president Kelley Robinson praised Erivo as a “generational talent” and someone who has had a profound impact on the visibility and celebration of the community. “Her powerful voice and her contagious authenticity pave the way for other LGBTQ+ people to be out, loud and proud in every room they’re in,” she added. “We are approaching a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Hate and discrimination are on the ballot this year, so it’s critically important for our community to have this space to gather together and recommit to showing up and showing out at the polls to ensure we can continue the work to achieve full liberation. Just like Cynthia, we must continue using our powerful voices and embracing our authentic selves to cement justice and equality for everyone — without exception.”
Erivo broke out following a run on Broadway in The Color Purple, picking up a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy along the way. She segued to the big screen and has since starred in Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet, Steve McQueen’s Widows, the HBO limited series The Outsider, John Ridley’s Needle in a Timestack, Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking and as Aretha Franklin in Genius. She plays Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Wicked, due in theaters on Nov. 22.
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