Janelle Monae performed on their own float at the Pride Parade in Los Angeles, over the weekend, where they gave a heartfelt speech as well. In doing so, Monae performed songs from their new album, The Age Of Pleasure.
"We are here, we are queer, we are trans, we are the LGBTQIA+ community and we celebrate us right now!" Monae said at the event. They continued: "We celebrate all that we are from all different walks of life, we protect each other, we use our privilege to protect those who don’t have any, we use our voice, we use and exercise our right to vote to protect our trans family! […] We protect Black folks here, we protect brown and Black. All of us protect each other. We love each other and we create safe spaces for each other, ’cause there’s no pleasure without safety. So thank you for this safe space right now. I love you so much!”
Janelle Monae Celebrates Pride Month
It's far from the first time Monae has spoken out about being a member of the LGBTQ community. During an interview with NBC4 Washington ahead of the release of their new album, Monae discussed supporting their people. “You respond by fighting back, by speaking out against, standing with our trans community, my siblings. As a nonbinary, queer, pansexual person, I am proud to be in this community. I will never sit back and be silent about the injustices that are happening against our trans community," they said at the time.
Janelle Monae's Float At Pride In L.A.
Monae dropped The Age Of Pleasure on Friday, June 9, as their first studio album in over five years. Their last effort, Dirty Computer, was released in 2018. The Age Of Pleasure features appearances from Sister Nancy, Grace Jones, Doechii, and more across its 14-track runtime.
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