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Anne Hathaway attacks white privilege during speech about human rights

Anne Hathaway attacks white privilege during speech about human rights

Anne Hathaway has been very vocal about the pitfalls of white privilege, to mixed reviews.

Over the weekend, the actress accepted the National Equality Award at the Human Rights Campaign’s national dinner.

The Academy Award-winner received the accolade with tears, and took her speech as an opportunity to call out the ‘myth’ of centring reality around whiteness, as well as denouncing straight and cisgender privilege.

Speaking to the crowd, she tearfully said: "It is important to acknowledge with the exception of being a cisgender male, everything about how I was born has put me at the current centre of a damaging and widely-accepted myth.

That myth is that gayness orbits around straightness, transgender orbits around cisgender, and that all races orbit around whiteness.

Hathaway said that spending time with the LGBT+ community, courtesy of her brother who is gay, made her unlearn the myth.

I appreciate this community because together we are not going to just question this myth, we are going to destroy it.

Let’s tear this world apart and build a better one.

Fellow Ocean’s 8 actress Awkwafina called the actress a "friend and sister".

She added:

But let’s be clear, she’s been telegraphing to the queer community for years.

Like when she straddled that motorcycle in that spray-on jumpsuit as Catwoman.

Some people online praised the actress for her words.

Others accused her of 'virtue signalling'.

Back in July, Hathaway unleashed a scathing attack on white privilege following the murder of black teenager Nia Wilson. Some people called her an ally, whilst others accused her of betraying a "white saviour complex".

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