In presenting Anderson Cooper with an
award on Saturday, Madonna took aim at the Boy Scouts of America and
anti-gay bullies.
At the 24th annual Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards held in New
York City, Madonna appeared dressed in a Boy Scout uniform.
“I wanted to be a Boy Scout,” she
told the audience, “but they wouldn't let me join.”
“I think I should be allowed to be a
Boy Scout. And I think they should change their stupid rules,” she
added, a reference to the group's ban on gay scouts and leaders.
Madonna went on to cite various global
conflicts, calling on people to find more common ground.
“If we just took the time to get to
know one another … we would find that we are not so different after
all.”
“What did Jesus teach? It's in all
the holy books: Love thy neighbor as thy self. We cannot use the
name of God or religion to justify acts of violence, to hurt, to
hate, to discriminate. Anyone out there sitting on a fence still –
a sharp fence, I hope – I hope you're listening.”
Madonna went on to call for a
“revolution” against bullying.
“[Bullying] is no different from a
white supremacist hanging a black man from a tree before the Civil
Rights movement. It's no different than a member of the Taliban
shooting a young girl in the head for writing a blog about the
importance of female education. It's no crazier than an Iranian gay
man being hanged for falling in love with a man. I don't know about
you, but I can't take this shit anymore. That is why I want to start
a revolution. Are you with me? It's 2013, people. We live in
America, land of the free, home of the brave, that's a question, not
a statement.”
In presenting Anderson Cooper with
GLAAD's Vito Russo Award, Madonna called Cooper “brave” for
“making a difference in the world by promoting equality and giving
a voice to the LGBT community.” (The video is embedded on this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)