Interview with LA PRIDE Grand Marshal Kelly Osbourne

From marching in the streets to protest Prop. 8’s passage to her current work with Cyndi Lauper’s “We Give a Damn” campaign, Kelly Osbourne is one of the fiercest advocates for gay people’s rights. Of course, we have always had a soft spot for Kelly, not just because we have danced to her club hits, but because she doesn’t just talk about making a difference, she always walks the walk. And this weekend, she gets to ride the pride as a grand marshal (along with her mother, Sharon) of Los Angeles’s 40th Annual Gay Pride celebration.

Complete interview at GAY.com. But first...a few select quotes:

Have your own struggles lead to an identification with gay people?

It’s not about identifying, it’s about what’s right and what’s wrong. And it’s wrong to look down upon somebody or not let somebody marry the person they want to marry because of their sexual orientation. It doesn’t make sense to me.

You were born in England, which allows civil unions and gays in the military. What are your observations about the cultural differences between the U.K. and the U.S.?

No matter where you go, you’re always going to have ignorant people. But it’s the way in which it’s handled in England that I think is a lot more respectful. They’re like, “If you don’t like it, fine, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be married.” Here it’s like, “It’s an abomination! We’re all going to die and go to hell because you want to kiss a man!” It’s ridiculous.

You prefer people who walk the walk.

Exactly. There are women, like Lady Gaga, who fully embrace it and who stand up. They go to the rallies, they protest. But then there are women who—I’m not going to name names—that use the gay community to sell albums, but then they don’t back it up. And I don’t like that.

If there were one thing that could change in the entire world by the end of this year, in any realm, what would you like to see happen?

That the government can no longer tell people who they can and cannot be with. For me, that’s the most pressing thing. Once that falls into place and people start to realize that there really is no difference, then everything else will also fall into place.

Keep reading at GAY.com.

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[Armando Branco]

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