Miley Cyrus brings agender date to amfAR gala

NEW YORK — Miley Cyrus and late-night talk show host Andy Cohen were recognised yesterday (June 16) in New York at amfAR’s sixth annual Inspiration Gala for their work in the fight against AIDS.

“It’s really fun to be in the company of Miley Cyrus,” said Cohen, the host of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live. ‘’Our names have never been spoken in the same sentence so I’m honoured tonight. She’s an original and she’s a fighter and she speaks to a whole, new generation.”

The 22-year-old Cyrus is an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community and has said she has had relationships with men and women.

She’s also launched a new campaign on Instagram where she posts photos of people across the gender spectrum. She brands the photos with the hashtag #InstaPride.

Transgender model Andreja Pejic applauded Cyrus for her work.

“I think she is using her celebrity in a positive way and to ... create some change,” Pejic said. “It’s nice to see and I don’t think a lot of celebrities do that. ... She’s a very genuine person and you can definitely see that she’s very excited for this opportunity and the charity and so it’s really amazing to see.”

Cyrus arrived at the red carpet with photographer, poet and former contestant on Oxygen’s The Glee Project, Tyler Ford. She posted a photo of Ford on Instagram prior to the event saying, “Tyler is a queer, biracial, agender person, whose pronouns are they/them/theirs.”

The Inspiration Gala included a runway show, awards presentation and performance by Mary J Blige.

amFAR is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to the support of AIDS research and HIV prevention and education. AP