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As an ally for the LGBTQ+ community and a mom of a mixed-race son Walker, 13, Idina Menzel has a message for parents everywhere: “keep fighting.” The Frozen star gave a heartfelt interview about the rise in censorship and hate aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, and how we can support kids.
“They’re taking children’s books that speak to gender and non-binary kids, and taking them out of schools,” Menzel said in an interview today with SiriusXM’s Fierce: Women in Music, per PEOPLE. “I mean, it’s just so upsetting, honestly. And so what we have to do is keep fighting.”
She also talked about race, and how it’s our job to educate ourselves about how to overcome racism. “I don’t think it’s the same thing with … I have a mixed-race son. I think it’s with a lot of my Black friends too. It’s not their job,” she continued. “The onus isn’t on them to change the world and educate people. It’s on us, you know?”
Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
“So we have to get out there and fight on their behalf and fight for policy and the education in schools and training for teachers, especially with the LGBTQ youth and, you know, trainers, parent awareness, all of this stuff,” the Disenchanted star said. Nothing makes me want to lace up my tennis shoes and stand up for our kids than a battle cry from Queen Elsa herself! She makes it sound so simple because it is: we have to fight for our kids and show them we support them. Then, we have to petition our policymakers and make change happen in our schools, communities, and country.
And if you aren’t sure where to start, begin by looking at how kids handle the conversation. “My son went to an elementary school that was handled beautifully,” she said. “His understanding of some of his non-binary friends actually didn’t even faze him. There wasn’t an understanding, [he] doesn’t even think about it. It just is what it is and that’s how it should be.” Isn’t that amazing?
Menzel, who shares Walker with ex Taye Diggs, is also an author of two children’s books with her sister Cara Mentzel: Loud Mouse and Proud Mouse. “I wanted to write a book inspired by when I was a young girl and I knew deep down that I had a special voice and I sometimes wasn’t sure how much to share it,” the Wicked star told TODAY about Loud Mouse. “I didn’t know how much to call attention to myself and how much space to really take up in the world.”
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How to Be the Best Parent to Your LGBTQ+ Child
Now she is using her voice to help kids, and it’s so inspiring. The least we can do is join in the fight and help protect our kids’ freedoms, too!
Before you go, check out some of the most heartfelt messages from celebrities to their kids.
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