Keke Palmer opened up about her personal journey with gender and sexuality while accepting an award at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala. As she received the Vanguard Award — which was also presented to Pamela Anderson and the late Leslie Jordan — on Saturday, April 22, Keke said, “I’ve always been my own person, and sexuality and identity, for me, it’s always been confusion.” She went on to describe how she always wanted to be like her father, Larry Palmer. However, Keke noted that she also felt pain and resentment after using masculinity in order to be taken seriously and not diminish because she was a woman. She concluded her speech on an empowering note saying, “There is no greater masterpiece than living your truth.” Keke was honored on Saturday night for her commitment to LGBTQ+ activism. The gala marked the Lightyear star’s first major public outing since welcoming her son with boyfriend Darius Jackson.
Ahead of her Vanguard Award win, she has been candid about her sexuality. In the 2015 music video for her song “I Don’t Belong to You,” she is shown leaving a man in bed at the beginning of the video and later arriving at a woman’s house in lingerie. #queer_up_gay_culture