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WATCH: Madonna's Progay Speech Introducing Pussy Riot at Amnesty's Brooklyn Concert
WATCH: Madonna's Progay Speech Introducing Pussy Riot at Amnesty's Brooklyn Concert
The queen of pop made an impassioned progay speech as she introduced Russian protest-punk band Pussy Riot at Amnesty International’s Bringing Human Rights Home concert in Brooklyn.
Madonna made an impassioned progay speech as she introduced the Russian band Pussy Riot during Amnesty International's Bringing Human Rights Home concert Wednesday evening, reports Billboard. The concert was the first of its kind and also included out musicians Tegan and Sara, in addition to The Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons, Lauryn Hill, The Fray, Cake, and others.
The pop queen and long-time LGBT ally read from handwritten notes at Brooklyn's Barclays Center as she recounted events from her visit to Russia during her MDNA tour in 2012, shortly after members of Pussy Riot had been imprisoned for staging a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin inside a Moscow cathedral.
Madonna told the cheering crowd:
It's no coincidence that I happened to be on tour and that I happened to be in Moscow the day Pussy Riot was put on trial for being arrested for hooliganism for singing less than two minutes of their song "Punk Prayer" in a church. This song criticized Vladimir Putin's regime and its blatant intolerance of gay rights, artistic freedom, freedom of speech and human rights in general. Boo, that is right. Boo. I was shocked and outraged when I heard about this and I spoke about it the next night onstage at my show. And suddenly my security guards tripled in number. From there, we went to St. Petersburg, where another atrocity was taking place. My show was being advertised and damned for being a "gay show" and for "promoting homosexuality." Which I have been known to do.
Anyway, all the people performing in the show, including myself, were threatened and told we'd be arrested if we were seen encouraging this gay behavior in my show. Needless to say, I did not change a second of my show. And I was not arrested. Unfortunately, I was sued for a million dollars, and 87 members of my audience were arrested for openly displaying more gay behavior. Whatever that means. Boo.
OK, so here we are two years later and Pussy Riot is out of jail. Thanks not only to Amnesty International's efforts but for millions of voices, actions, and demonstrations from people who care about human rights.
That's why we're all here, everybody. To celebrate human rights, correct?
Watch Madonna's speech below:
