Katy Perry Supports PP In A Major Way

Fans already knew that singer and fantasy best friend Katy Perry was a stand-up girl. After all, she took time out of what I'd assume is a frantically busy famous-person schedule to campaign tirelessly for Hillary Clinton. She went big on social media trying to encourage people to get out and vote, and I believe this wasn't all some phony, faux-liberal act: Perry canceled a Chinese concert celebrating Singles' Day (an actual real holiday in China in which being single is celebrated rather than commiserated with — which sounds fire) she had scheduled, presumably because she was emotionally wiped out by Clinton's loss. But now there's even more proof of her dedication via Perry's inspiring Planned Parenthood donation.

Perry published a screenshot of her donation on Instagram — which, if you're suspicious of such gestures, might have seemed like a cynical PR move, if it hadn't been accompanied with an extremely personal, moving story about the very real effect Planned Parenthood had on Perry's own life as a teenager. She wrote,

Planned Parenthood educated me on my body and my reproductive health, so that I could focus on my dreams and using my voice until I knew the timing was right for me to make a plan to have a family.

Given that, according to her 2011 Vanity Fair cover story, Perry famously grew up in a strict evangelical household in which Planned Parenthood was "considered like the abortion clinic," this recent show of support is both surprising and deeply inspiring to hear. It highlights just how essential Planned Parenthood's work is.

It's exciting because it's exactly the sort of message we need right now. If you're feeling too down to imagine anything but duvet days for the next few weeks, I've got you. That one article from The Onion is all too real. But the nature of human existence implies that at some point, we're going to have to get up and we're going to have to do the very necessary work of trying to resist white supremacy and supporting the most vulnerable members of our community. While it's great — and cathartic and necessary — to have your say (or carnal shriek of rage) on social media, at some point, words aren't enough. Ignore the haters in the comments saying Perry didn't give enough: To start, $10,000 is a hell of a lot of money, no matter your personal income. Secondly, at least she's doing something.

We're not all millionaires and we don't necessarily have $10,000 free. That's fine. Even $20 is great and generous. And if you're broke, your support doesn't have to be financial. Something every bit as important as money is your time — if you have a moment to volunteer, I'd argue now is exactly the right moment to start looking into which organizations could benefit most from your support. Just a few you might consider — alongside Planned Parenthood obviously, you could look into all-volunteer non-profit Border Angels, Showing Up For Racial Justice, The Center For Reproductive Rights, The Council on American-Islamic Relations, NextGen Climate Action, or The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (they take volunteers as Child Advocates in Chicago, New York, Houston, Harlingen, and Washington, D.C.).

You can also find further ideas for organizations with a focus on women that need your help here. I get it: we're all busy, most of us are sadder than ever. But giving these much-needed organizations our support right now is more vital than ever. Snaps to Perry for giving us a gentle nudge to remind us that it's way too soon to give up.