Actor Andrew Garfield dedicated his Tony Awards acceptance speech on Sunday to the LGBT community and took aim at the Supreme Court’s recent decision to side with a Christian baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding.
Garfield won a Tony statue for lead actor for his role in the play Angels In America, where he plays the role of iconic gay character Prior Walter in 1980’s America.
“At a moment in time where maybe the most important thing that we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit, it is the profound privilege of my life to play Prior Walter in ‘Angels in America’ because he represents the purest spirit of humanity, and especially that of the LGBTQ community,” Garfield said on receiving the reward.
“It is a spirit that says no to oppression,” he continued. “It is a spirit that says no to bigotry, no to shame, no to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly.”
Andrew Garfield calls out discrimination in America during his #TonyAwards acceptance speech https://t.co/N6Rc1SCmFQ pic.twitter.com/OM0jawbi72
— Variety (@Variety) June 11, 2018
The 34-year-old actor went on to reference a recent ruling by the Supreme Court that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission could not force a Christian baker to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
“We all belong, so let’s just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked!” Garfield said. “We all belong. So I dedicate this award to the countless LGBTQ people who have fought and died to protect that spirit, to protect that message for the right to live and love as we are created to.”
Garfield has previously opened up debate about his own sexuality, stating that although he is attracted to women he maintains an “openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time.” He has also caused controversy after describing himself as a “gay man without the physical act.”
During an interview backstage, Garfield attacked President Donald Trump, claiming he represented the “anthesis” of the positive value system shown in his play.
“The person in the White House now is the anthesis of the value system of this play and the anthesis of the value system of the theater,” he said. “It feels very important right now to be telling this story.”
Andrew Garfield backstage at the #TonyAwards: ‘The person in the White House now is the anthesis of the value system of this play and the anthesis of the value system of the theater. It feels very important right now to be telling this story’ pic.twitter.com/xu0xj16vL4
— Rebecca Rubin (@rebeccaarubin) June 11, 2018
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.