Yara Shahidi Promotes Equality in GLSEN Awards Speech

Yara Shahidi speaks on stage while accepting the GLSEN Gamechanger Award during the 2018 GLSEN Respect Awards on Friday night (October 19) at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The 18-year-old actress gave a powerful speech about equality at the event.

“We should all feel deserved and supported in expressing our right to being our whole selves, limited by nothing regardless of ethnicity, gender identities, sexuality, ability, religion or any other identity that we choose,” Yara said during her speech (via People). “There should be safe spaces in which our presence and existence are inherently valued, but more than that, I believe in promoting equity. It is dangerous to promote an identity by narrative.”

Yara credited her dad Afshin Shahidi for inspiring her activism.

“Thank you to my Papa for sharing with my mama, my brother, my aunties, my uncles, my brother, basically all of us, that a fight to help one person belong is a fight that belongs to all of us,” she said. “I am so grateful to stand amongst you.”

Yara met up with fellow actresses Storm Reid and Kat Graham at the event.

FYI: Yara is wearing a Tory Burch dress. Storm is wearing a Self-Portrait dress.