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Beyoncé Says 'Your Queerness Is Beautiful' in Empowering Grad Speech
"Build your own stage, and make them see you."
During YouTube's special commencement event for the Class of 2020 hosted by The Obamas, the one and only Beyoncé stopped by to empower people around the world through sharing moments from her own story.
In the nearly 10-minute speech, she congratulates new graduates, calls for people to invest in themselves, hold each other responsible for change, be ourselves, redefine masculinity, stay strong in the midst of this medical and racial pandemic, and so much more. She even takes the time to nod to the LGBTQ+ community in the address.
“If you’re part of a group that’s called 'other,' a group that does not get the chance to be center stage—build your own stage, and make them see you."
"Your queerness is beautiful. Your Blackness is beautiful. Your compassion, your understandingly, your fight for people who may be different from you, is beautiful," she continues. "I hope you continue to go into the world and show them that you will never stop being yourself, that it’s your time now. Make them see."
Whip your tissues out and get ready to feel inspired! Watch Beyoncé's commencement speech in the video below:
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
