Alan Cumming returns his OBE due to the “toxicity of empire”
Actor Alan Cumming has returned the OBE he was awarded in back 2009, stating his eyes have now been “opened” to the issues with the empire and the monarchy.
Cumming received the OBE, meaning ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’, for his acting exploits in addition to his activism for LGBT+ rights in America. The actor returned the award on his 58th birthday as something he “recently did for myself”.
Upon accepting the award, the actor originally said: “The fight for equality for the LGBT community in the US is something I am very passionate about,” Cumming commented. “And I see this honour as encouragement to go on fighting for what I believe is right and for what I take for granted as a UK citizen.”
14 years later, the actor has taken to Instagram to share his change of heart as “ensuing conversations about the role of the monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes”.
He added: “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. So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place,” Cumming shared.
He concluded: “I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again. Happy birthday to me!”
In 2019, Cumming shared his pride in playing Sky Witness’ first openly gay character Dr Dylan Reinhart in Instinct: “In a time in America’s history when it is obvious that bigotry and homophobia and racism are rife, it has been heartening to know there are people out there who don’t feel like that,” he told the BBC. “I’ve been in places like airports in cities across America and old ladies would say to me ‘I hope you and your husband get to adopt a child’,” he continued. “That is real progress.”
Other notable figures have returned their honours besides Cumming. As a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra issue, John Lennon returned his MBE in 1969. After reading up on Welsh history and his country’s relationship with the British state, Welsh actor Michael Sheen returned the OBE he received in 2009. George Harrison also turned the award down immediately due to his political stances.
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