Keke Palmer has opened up about her gender and sexuality, telling fans that she "always felt like I was a little bit of everything."
On Saturday, the 29-year-old was presented with a Vanguard Award by the Los Angeles LGBT Center during their annual event which took place at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.
Palmer gave a speech in which she got candid about her experiences regarding both gender and sexuality.
"I’m so grateful to be here today to be embraced by a community that I’ve always felt accepted by and a part of," the actress said after she was handed the award by Karamo Brown. "I’ve always been my own person. Sexuality and identity for me has always been confusion."
"You know, it’s, 'I never felt straight enough. I never felt gay enough. And I never felt woman enough. I never felt man enough,'" she continued. "You know, I always felt like I was a little bit of everything."
The Alice star then went on to say that as a woman, leading with more "masculine" qualities was often a concept that was met with hostility.
"...I lead with masculinity. And as a woman, I’ve always been met with so much disdain, you know what I mean?" Palmer said. "I think so much of that came from who I thought I had to be to get respect, admiration and love. And I’ve always really wanted to be like my father... to want to be taken seriously and not diminish because I was a woman. You know, that’s always been a source of — I guess you would say — pain and resentment."
Check out Palmer's tearful speech below:The 29-year-old continued delivering her speech while holding back tears.
"Why did my gender have to define the power I have in the world? And why does my gender get to decide my sexuality?" she asked. "You know, since I was younger, I always questioned the boxes I was forced to be in and it starts with who you’re supposed to be as a child. You’re supposed to be as a Black person or whatever the background you are from... Then those walls just try to cave you in from every damn angle, who you are as a creative, who you are as a friend."
"I’m truly so grateful to be seen in this room because I know I’m surrounded by people who know without a doubt what it’s like to decide to be who you are in a world that tells you to be everything but yourself," the actress added.
Elsewhere, fellow actress Pamela Anderson also received a Vanguard recognition.
The 55-year-old, who was the subject of the recent Netflix documentary Pamela: A Love Story, thanked the center and the wider queer community for accepting her, saying: "I am rooting for you. Thank you for rooting for me."
The gala, which returned after a four-year hiatus, typically sees a host of celebrities band together to raise money for youth services, culture and culinary programs and mental health resources.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, this year, the fundraiser managed to raise a total of $1.2 million.
Other guests in attendance also included Adam Lambert, Sarah Hyland, Madison Bailey, Colton Haynes, Orville Peck and Karamo Brown.
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