LOS ANGELES – Last night during the 89th annual Academy Awards, celebrities and influencers took to the red carpet wearing a little something extra – an ampersand (“&”) pin. Singer and songwriter Sting, ‘Moonlight’ actor Jaden Piner, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and E!’s Brad Goreski all wore the “&” to express solidarity against hateful and non-inclusive legislation, policy, and rhetoric.
“When celebrities use their platforms to speak out against discrimination it sends a message that reaches millions,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO. “By wearing these pins at the Academy Awards and becoming part of the Together movement these actors and influencers are letting the country know that they won’t back down from this administration’s hateful policies.”
This subtle yet powerful symbol represents the power of unity and great accomplishments that occur when marginalized community groups – including women, Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ people – resist in solidarity. It also symbolizes the intersections of people’s identities – highlighting that nobody is any one thing. The symbol joins and unites at a time when many feel the administration is working to divide them.
The Academy Awards weren’t the only place where celebrities showed their support of Together; ‘Moonlight’ writer Tarell Alvin McCraney as well as director Barry Jenkins wore the “&” along with Jaden Piner at the Independent Spirit Awards the previous evening and singer and songwriter Kesha took to Instagram to show her support of the movement.
GLAAD recently debuted the “&” symbol at an LGBTQ solidarity rally in NYC to speak out against the administration’s executive orders. The New Yorker took note, calling it the symbol that “best captured the spirit of the day, and the great diversity of the crowd and speakers.”
Learn more at glaad.org/together.
