Actor Alan Cumming Returns OBE Citing ‘Toxicity of the Empire’ and Treatment of ‘Indigenous People’

Actor Alan Cumming has returned his Order of the British Empire (OBE) honor 14 years after it was awarded citing the “toxicity” of the nation it represented.

The X-Men star said although he had been “grateful” for the acknowledgement, his eyes were now “opened” over “the toxicity of empire” and its treatment of “indigenous people.”

The Scottish showman had received the award in 2009 from the late Queen Elizabeth II for his activism on equal rights for the gay and lesbian communities in America.

But following the recent death of Her Majesty and speculation about the monarchy and “the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples” he decided to send it back to Buckingham Palace.

The writer and presenter said he was returning the award on his 58th birthday, and it was something he “recently did for myself.”

In an Instagram post to mark his birthday Friday, the Hollywood actor told his 479,000 followers on social media: “I returned my OBE,” before fully elaborating for his reasons.

 

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“Fourteen years ago, I was incredibly grateful to receive it 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 Defence of Marriage Act ensured that same sex couples couldn’t get married or enjoy the same basic legal rights as straight people…

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ensured that openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people were barred from serving in the military.”

He said in 2019 he was proud of starring in the first ever network drama on U.S. television to have a gay leading character, playing Dr Dylan Reinhart in Instinct.

File/The Traitors Photo Call/Alan Cumming at the Peacock Lounge on December 14, 2022  (Virginia Sherwood/Peacock via Getty Images)