BET Awards 2022: Janelle Monae says F**k you, Supreme Court
This year’s BET Awards were another example of celebrities using award presentations as a platform to share their opinions with the public, especially when they discuss significant issues. The landmark “Roe v. Wade” ruling, which had guaranteed the right to an abortion in every state, was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States a few days ago, shocking the country. Singer-turned-actress Janelle Monae was quite critical of the institution.
26 states are anticipated to outlaw or severely restrict abortion as a result of the reversal. With the new abortion legislation, the US joins only four other nations that have restricted abortion rights. The three nations that did the same were El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Poland.
The 36-year-old artist criticized the Supreme Court for its ruling in a statement about it, giving the highest court in the land the “middle finger” in the process. When Monae took the stage to deliver the Best Female R&B Pop Artist award at the BET Awards, she started her speech by praising Black artists for creating art on their own terms. In a society that seeks to regulate everything, she also applauded them for expressing themselves “freely.”
“Anyway, I’d like to give a special, special shout out to Black women, to Black queer artists, to Black nonbinary artists. These artists making art on our own terms, owning our truths and expressing ourselves freely and unapologetically in a world that tries to control and police our bodies, my body, and our decisions, my decisions.” Monae said.
.@JanelleMonae at #BETAwards: “Fuck you, Supreme Court.” pic.twitter.com/D5V5onpIcC
— Gerren Keith Gaynor (@MrGerrenalist) June 27, 2022
The artist went on to say “F*** you, Supreme Court” during the ceremony and showed the middle finger to the institution for such a poor decision. Although the expletive was bleeped during the broadcast, but the middle-finger gesture was shown. Monae concluded by saying, “We must celebrate our art by protecting our rights and our truths.”
All of the famous people seated in the Los Angeles Microsoft Theater responded enthusiastically to the artist’s remarks. Social media, on the other hand, was divided over Monae’s remarks, with some applauding the musician for speaking candidly about their current emotions. Some referred to her as “classless” in the meantime.