“I realized that if that many people were going to talk about something that I did, then I should make it a good thing.”
Miley Cyrus, 2017.
Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and Ruby Rose, act as cultural supporters, magnifying information about LGBTQ+ troubles. Indeed, those celebrities with huge followings have the power to influence the masses and shine light on specific issues that might not have been thought about. A 2004 research explained that being exposed to positive images of LGBTQ+ adults may help LGBTQ+ youth develop a less stigmatizing self-image.
In 2014, Cyrus won the MTV Video Music Award for `Video of the Year’ but instead of going on stage herself to accept the award, she sent her date for the evening, Jesse Helt, a homeless man she had been introduced to by a homeless youth center.
Helt declared that he was accepting the award on behalf of the “1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States, who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now”.
After that, Cyrus unveiled a fundraising campaign for My Friends Place, a Los Angeles-based homeless youth center. They raised more than $200,000 in 24 hours. That’s when the idea to create her own foundation started to grow.
In 2015, after coming out as pansexual and learning about the suicide of Leelah Alcorn, a young transgender girl who was being persecuted by her parents because of her identity, Cyrus launched the Happy Hippie foundation, a non-profit organisation.
“The media moves too fast,” Cyrus explains in an interview with Out Magazine “I didn’t want another story like that to be a little blurb that people hear about and then it just goes away.”
According to their website, the aim of her foundation is to “rally young people to fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth, and other vulnerable populations”. It focuses mainly on LGBTQ+ issues as 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+.
To mark the launch of her foundation, she partnered with Facebook to create a series of performances alongside famous artists such as Joan Jett, Laura Jane Grace and Ariana Grande. The “Backyard Sessions” prompted viewers to donate money to her cause.
The Happy Hippie foundation uses the funds it gains to build digital support groups for vulnerable kids and their families. Those support groups can be found on the website alongside links to partner foundations and crisis helplines.
LGBTQ+ youth reported, in a 2014 study, that online interactions offer them opportunities to ask questions to others about their same-sex desires and attractions. Access to the Internet means access to conversations and encounters rarely possible in their daily lives.
Furthermore, another study showed how important social support and LGBTQ+ interactions are for communities both currently and historically. They found that advances in ‘gay rights’ were also seen to contribute to the development of LGBTQ+ communities. However, a sense of belonging was associated with being a part of a community rather than to historical developments.
For transgender people, it has been proven that it is particularly important to have a support group in times of transition. Indeed, socializing and connecting to peers also affects individual well-being. Actually, participants engaged in LGBTQ+ communities are able to accept themselves and understand who they are better and faster than those without support.
Undeniably, LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to experience social isolation and family rejection. Therefore, by creating an online platform to help LGTBQ+ youth, the Happy Hippie Foundation plays a crucial role in allowing individuals to have a private and safe space for networking and assistance.
Another central event was the launch of the #InstaPride campaign with the social media platform Instagram. Indeed, the Happy Hippie account as well as Cyrus’ personal account was used to post photographs and life stories of persons who identify as gender-queer, gender non-conforming, agender and transgender. This collaboration enlightened her followers on the struggles trans people go through.
“The portraits and the people in them are meant to serve as positive examples for young people who might be struggling to figure themselves out, as well as reference points for those who might not personally know anyone who doesn’t feel at home in their own body”
Cyrus told Time.
Visibility matters. Indeed, when more LGBTQ+ people are featured in the media, they are actually seen by society which means that people can understand and grasp what it means to be LGBTQ+. This creates an important shift in the social consciousness and leads to more acceptance.
A psychology article also explained that visibility can help LGBTQ+ people to boost positive feelings of self-worth, instead of feeling like they are doing something wrong or bad by being who they are.
“What we’re trying to do is to be visible, to be visible with the famous celebrities and the people and everything to normalize this”
Murat Renay, owner of Turkey’s first gay magazine, explains in a book about LGBTQ+ rights in Turkey
Moreover, the Happy Hippie Foundation partnered with Gender Spectrum, an organisation that helps produce a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for children and teens. Together, they set up monthly digital Meet-Ups and after receiving many donations, were able to create weekly video support groups.
As well as doing long term work, the foundation also tries to be a resource for people in times of crisis. For example, after the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, they partnered with the Zebra Coalition, a network of organisations providing services to LGBTQ+ youth in Florida, to offer immediate counselling and support.
Celebrities like Miley Cyrus who get a lot of attention from the media can help causes such as LGBTQ+ rights by sharing stories, creating foundations or campaigning which helps communities gain exposure and support. Cyrus recognizes her privilege and uses her influence to make a positive impact.
Since 2015, gay marriage has become legal everywhere in the USA, Eric Fanning became the first secretary of the US Army to be openly gay and District of Columbia residents can now choose a gender-neutral option on their driving licence. However, it is an everyday fight for the LGBTQ+ community and having visibility through celebrities as well as being part of support groups can help them win even more battles.
