Hayley Kiyoko just shared a beautiful message about living authentically after her White House visit
Hayley Kiyoko and her girlfriend Becca Tilley at the White House / @hayleykiyoko
Singer Hayley Kiyoko has shared a heartwarming message of acceptance after attending the White House to celebrate the historic signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.
The long overdue legislation was pushed forward by the US government to federally protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights.
The bill, won by House Democrats 258-169, was officially signed in by President Biden earlier this week.
“America takes a vital step toward equality, liberty and justice,” Biden declared as the bill was signed. “Not just for some, but for everyone.”
Kiyoko, aka Lesbian Jesus, attended the star-studded signing alongside other notable LGBTQ+ artists and public figures such as Sam Smith, Marti G Cummings and Cyndi Lauper.
After the event, the “Girls Like Girls” singer, who attended the event alongside her girlfriend Becca Tilley, reflected on the historic occasion with a letter to her younger self.
“I wish I could tell my younger self – a closeted biracial girl searching for acceptance – that one day I could live authentically and choose to legally marry whomever I love regardless of their race or sexual orientation,” she wrote in the caption.
“The Respect for Marriage Act secures the safety of so many unions around the country, and it was an honour to be there today to witness history.
“Today was an excellent step towards progress. At the same time, my LGBTQIA+ community is still very much under attack both abroad and at home.
“I look forward to the next steps we will take together to ensure continued justice for the entire queer community.”
Tilley, who met Kiyoko at the 2018 Expectations album release party, also took a moment to celebrate her love for her girlfriend.
“I love you, I was so proud to be there with you today,” she commented beneath the post.
Non-binary artist Sam Smith also gave a powerful performance at the festivities, altering the lyrics of their hit song “Stay With Me” from “this ain’t love, it’s clear to see” to “this is love, it’s clear to see” to mark the occasion.
The award-winning singer later wrote that they were honoured to be invited to perform at the event and celebrate “a landmark moment for freedom of love and hopefully just the beginning of the important work” when it comes to the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Kiyoko and Tilley have already cemented themselves as a must-watch queer couple, dressing up as Scooby Doo’s Daphne and Velma for Halloween.
Kiyoko, who played Velma in the live-action movies in the early 2010s, celebrated the recent confirmation of the character’s lesbian identity, saying: “I’m surprised but also not surprised whatsoever.”
The singer first came out as queer with their 2015 hit song “Girls Like Girls” and soon clarified they were lesbian.
Speaking at The Pride Summit, they explained that they came out as a lesbian in a bid to “normalise” their sexuality.
“I didn’t want a label at all, but once I released my music, there was this outpour of support for the fact that I did like girls,” they remarked.
“I learned that by embracing my label as a lesbian, I was helping normalise that for so many other people.”
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