Dove Cameron, Kim Petras, and More Represent Queer Community in AMAs 2022

Dove Cameron announced earlier this year that she is queer earlier this year, in hopes of helping and bringing comfort to those who are not ready to come out.

Months later, she stood on the American Music Awards stage to bring awareness to the violence against the queer community, especially the recent news of a mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"Queer visibility is more important than ever right now," she said in an interview with Variety. "It's in a permanent state of important because of how much our rights are up for grabs right now."

She also noted that the government has to implement stricter gun laws, "What more can we say except we can't be playing with people's livelihoods because of our own personal opinions about how someone else is leading their lives?

"It's incredibly f*cked up. It's incredibly disheartening. It's depressing as s**t."

Furthermore, she suggested that people who are interested in helping should look into LGBT organizations like GLAAD and the Trevor Project.

Cameron later won the best new artist of the year award; and in her acceptance speech, she echoed the same sentiments, and dedicated her award to her community.

"This is so meaningful to me. I want to start by saying that every award that I ever win will always first and foremost be dedicated to the queer community at large," she said.

"You guys have carved out such a space for me to be myself and to write music about it and I have never felt safer or more loved or more supported, and I hope I can give you some semblance of that same feeling in my music."

Fear Of Others

Other artists were present at the award show bringing light to the devastating news of violence against the community as well the importance of representation in the industry.

"This problem we have in our society - the fear of others - is an epidemic and a disease. To say that people who are different are to be feared created this sort of event," said Melissa Etheridge.

Kim Petras was also in attendance and expressed how saddened she was of the news, as she herself found acceptance and love in queer clubs.

"I'm someone who has needed gay clubs since I was a child to feel like I belong anywhere and to hear the music that I wanted to hear and be around people the see me for who I am," she said. "That was my safe place as a trans girl, as a teenager, as someone who didn't fit in."

READ ALSO: AMAs Conspiracy Theory? Kodak Black Reacts To 'Super Gremlin' Not Winning

Tags

Dove Cameron, LGBTQ, AMAs