Madonna's Emotional World AIDS Day Speech Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes

Madonna is, once again, showing the world why she’s an LGBTQ+ icon.

The 65-year-old singer was performing in Amsterdam as part of her Celebration Tour on Friday when she commemorated World AIDS Day with a powerful speech.

“Today is World AIDS Day. Do you know that? Is that important to everybody,” she addressed the crowd. “Maybe it seems like it's so far away that it doesn’t mean anything, that it’s just another holiday. But let me explain something to you: there is no cure for AIDS, people still die of AIDS did you know that?”

“When I first came to New York, I was lucky enough to eventually meet and become friends with so many amazing artists, musicians, painters, singers, dancers, the list goes on and on... writers,” she said. “And then one day, people started getting sick, and nobody could understand what was happening… People were just starting to lose weight. People were dropping like flies. They were going to the hospital and nobody knew what was happening.”

The singer then recalled that the news started calling the disease “Gay Cancer” because it was predominantly affecting gay men, and that at that time, being gay was a lot less accepted than it is now.

“Can you imagine what it was like in that time when being gay was considered sinful and disgusting? When suddenly the vast majority of the gay community started dropping like flies and people were dying everywhere,” she continued. “When I say that they were dying everywhere, I’m not exaggerating. Every day I would wake up and hear a new story, a new friend, I’d be visiting someone new, I’d be sitting by their bedside watching somebody die.”

“Meanwhile, nobody in the medical community wanted to do anything about it, because they said, 'Well fuck it, they’re faggots. They deserve to die,'” she added, saying that it was a “devastating” and “scary” time.

She then started to tear up. “I personally lost so many friends, so many loved ones that I would have cut off my arms if I could’ve found a cure for them to live,” she said with her voice breaking. “I watched so many people die, male and female, children, straight, gay, etc.”

Madonna then spoke about spending time with Martin, her best friend who had died from AIDS-related complications, saying she was holding his hand as he was dying.

“I’m not saying this cause I want you to feel sorry for me,” she closed. “I want you to recognize how lucky you are right now to be alive!”

Madonna has long been an advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS, and was one of the first mainstream musicians to speak publicly on the issue. You can watch the whole speech below.