May 9, 2024
Beyonce, Madonna and Coldplay sign open letter on gender equality
Madonna, Beyonce and Coldplay were among those who signed the letter.
BEYONCE, Madonna and Coldplay have signed an open letter hitting out at recent US policies they say “put decades of progress for girls and women at risk”.
They joined a number of celebrities who put their names to the letter which says gender equality is at a “critical moment in history”.
“Recent legislation and rhetoric have put decades of progress for girls and women at risk,” the letter reads.
It calls the battle for gender equality “the emergency and the opportunity of our time”.
“Recent policies and appointments in the United States jeopardise its position as a global leader and positive role model on human rights,” it reads.
The letter is seemingly aimed squarely at President Donald Trump, but it does not mention him directly.
During the election campaign last year, a leaked video surfacedin which he is heard in 2005 boasting about groping women.
Since his inauguration in January, a series of women’s protests have taken place.
Up to half a million women joined a protest march in Washington DC in January,including celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Katy Perry.
The letter also says: “We fight for our future, because none of us can move forward if half of us are held back.
“All over the world, women are on the front lines, fighting for our future. Yet millions of girls and women are still denied basic equal rights.”
Other notable signatories include singer John Legend, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, actresses Salma Hayek, Julia Roberts, Jada Pinkett Smith and Dakota Johnson and writer Hung Huang.
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The letter was published by Global Citizen in collaboration with Chime For Change, a charity co-founded by Beyonce and actress Salma Hayek, to mark International Women’s Day. – news.sky.com
