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Versace Producer at Golden Globes: Homophobia Is 'Not Historical'

Versace Producer at Golden Globes: Homophobia Is 'Not Historical'

Brad Simpson
Brad Simpson

Producer Brad Simpson's acceptance speech for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story was a voice for The Resistance.

dnlreynolds

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story became a voice for The Resistance at the Golden Globes.

The FX show took home Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television at the Sunday ceremony.

Accepting the award was executive producer Brad Simpson, who in his acceptance speech stressed that the homophobia depicted in American Crime Story -- which shows the events leading to the killing of the gay fashion designer Gianni Versace by serial killer Andrew Cunanan -- is still present day.

"Gianni Versace was murdered 20 years ago," Simpson said. "He was one of the very few public figures who was out during a time of intense hate and fear. This was the era of "Don't ask, don't tell." It was the Defense of Marriage Act era. Those forces of hate and fear are still with us. They tell us we should be scared of people who are different than us. They tell us we should put walls around ourselves."

"As artists, we must fight back by representing those who are not represented and by providing a space for people who are new voices to tell stories that haven't been told," he continued. "As human beings, we should resist in the streets, resist in the ballot box, and practice love and empathy in our everyday lives. Our show is a period piece, but those forces are not historical. They're here. They're with us. And we must resist."

Simpson was flanked by the cast of American Crime Story, including Ricky Martin as well as Ryan Murphy. Out producer Lena Waithe presented the award with Halle Berry; the pair walked out onstage hand-in-hand.

The "forces" Simpson alludes to is likely the Trump administration, which has actively worked to roll back the gains of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.

For his performance as Cunanan in American Crime Story, Darren Criss also won for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the Golden Globes.

dnlreynolds
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Daniel Reynolds

Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.
Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.