Miley Cyrus is still “just being Miley,” but this time it’s also for a good cause.
The candid pop star was presented with a Vanguard Award at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s 46th Anniversary Gala on Saturday night, and kicked off the evening by licking an autographed piano for charity.
Miley may be known for her spontaneous behavior, but she later took the stage to say she has her sights focused on the big picture.
“I’m thinking of tonight as not celebrating what we’ve already done, but what we’re doing and what we’re going to do in the future,” she told the crowd.
While Miley was being honored for her work with the LGBT community and her own Happy Hippy Foundation, she took time during her speech to thank those who helped her find a solid ground when she was in need herself.
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“The LGBT center had the key to the lock on my cage, and they set me free. And I want to continue to do the same for others,” she said, adding that her ultimate goal is to help society “one day be living in a truly free world.”
“I know that I’ll have been honored to even have been a twinkle in the diamond sky of this dream, and I want all of you to know that I feel beyond grateful to be in a room full of so many people who care so much,” she continued.
The ceremony capped off a landmark year for the 22-year-old both personally and professionally.
She hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in August, two months after Paper magazine published a revealing interview in which she said she’d come out to her mother as bisexual at just 14 years old.
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“I remember telling her I admire women in a different way. And she asked me what that meant. And I said, ‘I love them. I love them like I love boys,'” she told the mag at the time.
Miley went on to explain how the difficult conversation helped widen her mom’s perspective and deepen their relationship.
“And it was so hard for her to understand. She didn’t want me to be judged and she didn’t want me to go to hell,” the singer said. “But she believes in me more than she believes in any god. I just asked for her to accept me. And she has.”
— Erin Biglow
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