In 2015, celebrities didn’t just make music or act. Many celebrities spread awareness about important issues through articles, speeches, and more. We love that celebrities have spoken out about everything from gender inequality to medical conditions like HIV and lupus. Here is our roundup of the major causes that have been brought to light this year.
Caitlyn Jenner: Transgender Struggles
Caitlyn officially debuted as a woman on the June cover of Vanity Fair this year. Formerly Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner, Caitlyn has been in the public spotlight as the patriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner family, and used that fame to help speak out on behalf of the trans community, documenting her struggles with her transition on the reality show I Am Cait. She won Glamour’s “Woman of the Year” award, and was recently named Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating Person of 2015.
Charlie Sheen: HIV
In November, Charlie Sheen revealed that he is HIV positive. “Every day, of every month, of every year, countless individuals go to work, man their stations, fulfill their professional obligations with a host of disabilities. Diseases, imperfections, hurdles, detours. These maladies range from lupus to cancer, from paralysis to blindness, from diabetes to obesity. ‘Treated,’ HIV is no different,” he wrote in an open letter to the public addressing his diagnosis. Though HIV is more easily treated now than it has been in the past, it is not curable. Sheen has been able to suppress the disease though, thanks to early and regular treatment.
Jennifer Lawrence: Gender Inequality
The lovable star of The Hunger Games made waves when she wrote an essay for the newsletter Lenny Letters entitled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” The essay revealed that during the Sony hacks of 2014, Lawrence discovered that she made way less than her male American Hustle co-stars. She brought gender inequality in Hollywood to light, which helped pave the way for similar conversations in workplaces across the country.
Taylor Swift: Artist Rights
In her open letter to Apple posted on her Tumblr page, Taylor Swift explained why she would be withholding her album 1989 from Apple’s streaming service, Apple Music. “I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months [of a free trial]. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company,” she wrote. Though Swift is a successful musician and would probably not miss the money that she would lose through the free trial periods, she still withheld her music so that lesser-known artists could still gain the money they deserve for their hard work.
Viola Davis: Racial Inequality
The How to Get Away with Murder star used her Emmy acceptance speech for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series as a way to get everyone talking about lack of diversity in Hollywood roles. “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there,” she said. She used her two minutes to open up a conversation about racial inequality that will hopefully promote change in Hollywood and beyond in 2016.
Selena Gomez: Lupus
Selena Gomez revealed this year that she had been taking a break from her career because she is battling lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. Instead of succumbing to the disease, she used it as fuel for her newest album, Revival. “I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again,” she told Billboard. Gomez helped to not only educate the public on the disease, which affects about 1.5 million Americans, but also to show the power of believing in yourself and putting health above everything else.
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