Ariana DeBose Says ‘My Country Is At War With Me’

Author Laila Abuelhawa

July 1st, 2022 5:03 PM

West Side Story‘s Ariana DeBose is standing up for human rights in a new interview on The Tonight Show following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade.

DeBose, 31, told host Jimmy Fallon Thursday (June 30), “I’m Black, I’m Afro-Latina, I’m a woman and I’m queer. My country is at war with me, and that’s hard.”

“Clarence Thomas was very clear on what his plan is. He’s not just coming for women — they already came for voting rights, they’re gonna continue,” the Oscar winner said. “But they’re coming for marriage equality. And, quite frankly, they’ll probably come for adoption rights, by same-sex couples.”

“So this is the time to get in the fight, and it starts on a local level,” she said. “So find ways to get involved.”

DeBose later shared a clip from her interview on Twitter, writing, “This is not about one set of rights. This is about human rights. Find your local abortion fund and consider donating monthly at abortionfund.org.”

https://twitter.com/ArianaDeBose/status/1542718976618373120?s=20&t=TEMv0SOgQ07VYDIl-5Uhnw

Per People, DeBose made history as the first Afro-Latina actress and the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar in an acting category for Best Supporting Actress earlier this year for her performance in West Side Story.

During her Oscars speech, DeBose spoke about her identity and how her art helped her come into her own, telling the audience, “Imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus,” she said. “Look into her eyes, you see a queer — openly queer — woman of color, Afro-Latina who found her strength in life through art, and that’s what I believe we are here to celebrate.”

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Author Laila Abuelhawa

Category:

• Celebs
• Entertainment
• My Kiss Radio

Tags:

Ariana DeBose,LGBTQ,Roe V. Wade