Julie Andrews Expresses Support for LGBTQ Community: I Have 'Always' Been An Ally

In a new interview with The Advocate this week, legendary star of stage and screen, Julie Andrews, shares her support for the LGBTQ community and says her long career in film and theater was responsible for exposing her to diversity from a very young age. Speaking specifically about queer people, the actress shares that she's "just always" been an ally.

"Theater, anyway, is such an open community and free," says the MARY POPPINS star. She goes on to explain that she was "very aware of bias and bigotry" as a young girl, and was "raised not to be that way and not to think that way." She shares, "It always seemed puzzling to me that the world wasn't just embracing human beings. But it's never been something that I stumbled on. It's just always been innate, thanks I think to the professions that I am in."

The 81-year-old and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, are the creators of the new Netflix series JULIE'S GREENROOM, which introduces a new generation of young people to theater by showing them what goes on behind-the-scenes of a production. The children are represented by puppets created by Jim Henson Company's Creature Shop, and include a character, Riley, who is gender-nonbinary, a historic act of LGBT inclusion in children's television. Explains Andrews, "We tried to be as inclusive as we possibly could within the show."

Adds Hamilton, "We really wanted all the characters to be as diverse as possible so that every child watching might see themselves reflected there." She adds, "I have a transgender nephew on my father's side of the family. So I'm extremely aware of how important it is to support and advocate for young people who are experiencing that in their lives."

Read the interview in full HERE

Photo credit: Ali Goldstein/Netflix