Billy Porter is sharing a message for the LGBTQ community, saying “we gotta keep fighting,” as he helped light the Empire State Building in honor of Pride month.
“I want to remind everybody that while we are under attack, the reason is because the change is already happening,” the “Pose” actor said Thursday at the lighting ceremony in New York City.
“We have to lead with that energy,” Porter, 53, said.
“If there’s anything that I know for sure, it’s that I’ve lived long enough to know that love always wins,” Porter said.
Porter’s remarks came as more than 490 bills targeting LGBTQ people have been introduced in state legislatures nationwide in the last year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
But the Broadway star struck an optimistic tone.
“If there’s anything that I know for sure, it’s that I’ve lived long enough to know that love always wins,” he said.
“We’re gonna be alright, ya’ll. We gotta keep fighting, we gotta keep pushing, we gotta keep being present,” Porter told the crowd.
“Happy Pride and protest,” he said.