Pharrell Williams wants people to know that it's 2017, and that hate and bigotry towards the LGBT community should have no place in this world.
On a recent appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' popular talk show, the singer-songwriter—who produced the recent, critically-acclaimed feature film Hidden Figures—addressed the controversy surrounding gospel singer Kim Burrell, and a vehemently antigay sermon she gave at a church in Houston.
"There’s no space, there’s no room for any kind of prejudice in 2017," Pharrell said during his sit-down with out lesbian Ellen, who canceled a scheduled performance of Burrell's on her show amidst the controversy. "We all have to get used to everyone’s differences and understand that this is a big, gigantic, beautiful, colorful world, and it only works with inclusion and empathy. It only works that way."
He continued, talking about the importance of disarming hate speech, even if it doesn't necessarily affect you personally:
"Whenever you hear some sort of hate speech and you feel like it doesn’t pertain to you because you may not have anything to do with that, all you got to do is put the word black in that sentence, or put gay in that sentence, or put transgender in that sentence, or put white in that sentence, and all of the sudden it starts to make sense to you. I’m telling you, the world is a beautiful place but it does not work without empathy and inclusion. God is love. This Universe is love and that’s the only way it will function. And I get it that sometimes some of the divisive stuff works. We learned that lesson last year that divisiveness works. But you have to choose what side you’re on. I’m choosing empathy. I’m choosing inclusion. I’m choosing love for everybody just trying to lift everyone. Even when I disagree with someone, I’m wishing them the best and hoping for the best because we can’t win the other way."
Watch Pharrell's epic Ellen appearance in the video below.
