Lizzo Dedicates ‘Over the Rainbow’ to Black Trans Women at WeHo Pride: ‘We Ain’t Free Till We All Free’
Lizzo is dreaming of a better future for members of the LGBTQ+ community, specifically Black trans women.
During her performance at WeHo Pride’s OUTLOUD Music Festival on Saturday, the hitmaker dedicated a soulful cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to some of society’s most vulnerable members before penning a heartfelt message on Instagram.
Sharing a clip of the cover on the first day of Pride Month — one day after she took the stage in West Hollywood — Lizzo wrote, “As this month begins, let us remember there would be no pride without the Black trans women & trans women of color who fought against the systems that tried to erase them.”
“In honor of that fight we have to continue to take a stand against that very same system that threatens our rights to bodily autonomy and liberation,” she continued in her caption. “We ain’t free till we all free. I love you.”
The video finds the musician wearing a sparkly red coat, a cut-off Yitty T-shirt and denim shorts, her long hair blowing in the wind. “We still in some sh–, right?” she tells the crowd. “But hopefully one day beyond this mother—-ing rainbow, bi—, we will see a place where we no longer have to fight to exist. This is for you.”
At that, Lizzo dives into her jazzy rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” which was originally sung by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz before being adopted by the LGBTQ community as a gay anthem in the decades that followed. “Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,” she sings with emotion tinging her voice. “There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.”
The “Truth Hurts” artist was one of a few dozen acts on the OUTLOUD lineup, with Kim Petras, Frankie Grande and more also performing Saturday. The Sunday lineup was headlined by Remi Wolf, with sets from Honey Dijon, Paris Hilton, Rebecca Black and more.
Lizzo’s message comes during a particularly challenging year for the LGBTQ community. During his first few months back in office, President Trump has worked to undo a number of legal protections for gay and trans people, with GLAAD counting at least 225 “attacks” on LGBTQ rights within his first 100 days in office.
The singer/flautist, however, has long been vocal in her support for her LGBTQ fans, and in 2023, her brand Yitty unveiled a line of gender-affirming shapewear. “You deserve to feel like you,” she wrote at the time. “You deserve to feel good in Your Skin.”
See Lizzo’s message to the Black trans community below.
Hannah Dailey
Billboard
