Decorated film and theater actor Alan Cumming announced today that he will be giving back the Order of the British Empire award given to him by Queen Elizabeth II because of his misgivings about “being associated with the toxicity of empire.”
“I want to tell you about something I recently did for myself,” Cumming wrote in an Instagram post early Friday morning. “Fourteen years ago, I was incredibly grateful to receive [the award] in the 2009 Queen’s birthday honours list, for it was awarded not just for my job as an actor but ‘for activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, USA.’ Back then the Defense of Marriage Act ensured that same sex couples couldn’t get married or enjoy the same basic legal rights as straight people, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ensured that openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people were barred from serving in the military. (Incidentally both these policies were instituted by the Clinton administration).”
The Scottish actor, who is bisexual, continued: “The Queen’s death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of Indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes. Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire). So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again.”
Actor Michael Sheen, who, like Cumming, was also awarded an OBE in 2009, reportedly gave back his award before a speech in 2017 because the accolade made him feel like a “hypocrite.” John Lennon returned his OBE in November of 1969 in protest of Britain’s support of the Vietnam war.
