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Miley Cyrus Knows Not Everyone Lives Her Life of Luxury
Miley Cyrus Knows Not Everyone Lives Her Life of Luxury
She may sleep in mansions, but the pansexual, gender-fluid singer and actress refuses to turn a blind eye to the millions shivering in the streets.
Miley Cyrus bought a $5 million ranch-style house this spring on the outer edges of Los Angeles County, complete with a vineyard and more than five acres of land. The far-removed compound allows Cyrus, 23, to escape the unpleasant aspects of urban living. But while the pansexual, gender-fluid superstar may want to occasionally escape the Hollywood bubble, she's not at all interested in diverting her gaze from society's ills.
Though she's passionate about animal rights and queer equality, Cyrus has made addressing homelessness her main altruistic endeavor. She officially launched the Happy Hippie Foundation in May, a nonprofit that provides clothes, meals, and gathering spaces for young people living on the streets. Cyrus spoke eloquently about looking beyond her privilege at the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Vanguard Awards last month.
"We have been given this megaphone," Cyrus said of herself and fellow celebrities, "and it is our responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect our fellow people, environment, and we cannot forget about the animals."
Cyrus has been walking the walk for at least a year. When she won a Moon Man at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, instead of giving an acceptance speech, she gave the mike to a homeless youth named Jesse, who discussed the struggles of people like him and urged viewers to donate to the cause (they raised $200,000 for an L.A. shelter).
She's continued sounding the alarm about homelessness since, telling the audience at this year's Vanguard Awards that more than 1.6 million young people are struggling to survive on the streets of America. There was no twerking or "clap backs," just a passionate call to action for everyone in the room.
Quoting fellow Vanguard honoree Jane Fonda, Cyrus said, "To be a revolutionary, you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power."
Watch Cyrus's speech at November's GLAAD Vanguard Awards below, and read about Miley's long history of activism here.
