In accepting an award on Saturday,
actress Meryl Streep said that people don't have an option on whether
to oppose President Donald Trump's policies.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, honored Streep with its
National Ally for Equality Award at its Greater New York Gala.
During a speech last month at the
Golden Globes, Streep delivered – without saying his name – a
takedown of President Donald Trump. Trump responded on Twitter by
calling Streep “one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood”
and a “Hillary flunky who lost big.”
“Yes, I am the most overrated,
over-decorated, and currently, over-berated actress … of my
generation,” Streep joked. “But that is why you invited me here!
Right?”
“It's terrifying to put the target on
your forehead, and it sets you up for all sorts of attacks and armies
of brownshirts and bots and worse. And the only way you can do it is
if you feel you have to,” Streep said, a reference to a Nazi
militia. “You have to. You have no choice, but you have to speak
up and stand up and act up.”
“As Americans, men, women, people,
gay, straight, LGBTQ, all of us have the human right to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. And if you think people got mad when
they thought the government was coming after their guns, wait 'til
they come and try to take away our happiness!” she added.
(Related: Seth
Meyers: No reason to think Trump will be a friend to LGBT community.)