Alan Cumming’s birthday gift to himself was returning an award from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Scottish actor, 58, is no longer an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
The Queen gave him the OBE award in 2009 for his work as an actor and as an LGBTQ rights activist during her birthday honors celebration.
The “Good Wife” alum marked his birthday on Friday with an Instagram post explaining why he decided to hand back the OBE.
He said that his decision is his way of distancing himself from the ‘toxicity’ of the British Empire.
“I returned my OBE,” he began in the January 27 post. “Fourteen years ago, I was incredibly grateful to receive it in the 2009 Queen’s birthday honors 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.'”
Cumming’s Instagram post included the statement he gave in 2009 after receiving the honor as well as his reasoning for wanting to distance himself from the monarchy today. He noted that in 2009, gay marriage wasn’t legal in the US, and the country still had a ways to go in ensuring equal rights for all citizens.
“The fight for equality for the LGBT community in the U.S. is something I am very passionate about, and I see this honor as encouragement to go on fighting for what I believe is right and for what I take for granted as a UK citizen,” Cumming’s 2009 statement read.
“Thank you to the Queen and those who make up her Birthday honors list for bringing attention to the inaction of the US government on this issue. It makes me very proud to be British, and galvanized as an American,” his 2009 statement concluded. The “Traitors” host became an American citizen in 2008.
The “X2” star went on to discuss how the Queen’s death in September 2022 has created “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.” He also commented on the strides the US has made in LGBTQ rights.
“Thankfully, the times and laws in the U.S. 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 [the] empire.” he penned.
“So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again.
Happy birthday to me!” his post concluded.
Alan Cumming adds himself to the list of entertainers who returned their honors from the monarchy, including John Lennon and Welsh actor Michael Sheen.
The Beatles were awarded the title Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, however, Lennon gave his back in 1969 to protest England’s role in the Nigerian civil war.
Sheen, 53, was awarded his honor in 2009 and gave it back in 2020 due to learning about Welsh history and Britain’s relationship with the country.
