Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo pays moving tribute to Marsha P. Johnson

After being honoured at Out Magazine’s Out100 awards, which are given to the most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people each year, Cynthia Erivo paid tribute to her queer ancestors.

The Wicked star delivered a powerful message after being awarded with Out100’s Icon of the Year, celebrating the revolutionary people who came before her and made such a difference to the lives of LGBTQ+ people.

She said: “When I think of the word Icon, I think of Marsha P. Johnson, a revolutionary who worked to make change for the trans community and by default the queer community at large.

“I think of Reverend Pauli Murray, whose work influenced the civil rights movement and taught people that queerness does not erase faith. I think of George Michael who gave us the video and song freedom and celebrated the freedom of expression and self.”

Erivo went on to celebrate George Michael, Koko the doll, and “the mothers of the houses of Pendavis, Labeija, Xtravaganza, and Ninja”, whom she called “exquisite queens who took in young queer people and gave them a place to dream”.

“I think of those people and I wonder, what qualities do I have that allow me the privilege of being garnished with such a title; and I have come to the conclusion that this is actually where I earn it,” Erivo continued.

She said her work and the “stories” she chooses to tell are a “celebration of humanity” and that she wants to “celebrate us in all our differences and quirks, in our pain and scars, in our laughter and joy”.

Cynthia Erivo is openly bisexual, having come out in 2022, and has also spoken up for her queer brothers and sisters.

She previously said her queerness is “a beautiful part” of who she is.

Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba in Wicked, with her character being ostracised because of her green skin and later breaking free of the confines of society after realising how she can no longer “grovel in submission”.

“As I stand here in front of you: Black, bald-headed, pierced, and queer, I can say I know a thing or two about being the other,” she said of her character in Wicked earlier this year.

“Elphaba’s story is…about how a colourful, powerful, magical woman — despite being disparaged, demonized, and discriminated against — becomes a hero. Wicked is a reclamation and a reimagining of the labels used against her. It is the proclamation of her right to exist in all her power. If that sounds familiar to you colourful, magical people in this room — it should.”