in brief: Miley Cyrus launches transgender awareness campaign

Singer Miley Cyrus has launched a transgender Instagram campaign, giving the LGBT community a platform to share their stories in a tolerant and positive environment.

Cyrus founded the Happy Hippie organisation to dispel prejudices against the transgender community through the #Instapride hashtag, which she hopes will educate the community about what transgender really means.

‘Anyone should be able to express how they feel, without question, and be able to live,’ Cyrus said in an interview with TIME Magazine.

Cyrus revealed several days ago that she identifies as gender fluid in Paper Magazine and that at 14 she confessed to her mother she was attracted to women.

‘I remember telling her I admire women in a different way,’ she said.

‘And she asked me what that meant.

‘And I said, I love them.

‘I love them like I love boys.’

Cyrus also said her mother didn’t want her to be judged and ‘didn’t want [her] to go to hell’.

‘But she believes in me more than she believes in any god.

‘I just asked for her to accept me.

‘And she has.’

Miley, now 22 years old, has used her fame to promote social causes on various occasions including asking a young homeless man to accept her VMA award in her place and more recently, appearing at the amfAR gala with an agender date after she was honoured for her contribution to AIDS research.

Miley’s mantra is simple: ‘As long as you’re not hurting anyone, your choices are your choices.’