Entertainment

'Real Housewives' Fans Need To Read Erika Jayne's Amazing Letter To The LGBTQ+ Community

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In honor of Pride Month, Billboard asked "numerous pop culture luminaries" to pen notes of support and appreciation to fans. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne's love letter to the LGBTQ+ community which was posted on Saturday, June 2, was as fierce as the self-described "pretty mess" herself.

The glam reality star and dance floor jam hitmaker (whose real name is Erika Girardi) began her submission thanking her day-one fans who had her back long before she joined the Bravo franchise in 2015.

"Before The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills introduced Erika Jayne to the world, the LGBTQ+ community was right there supporting me. They bought my records, came to my shows, and rooted for my TV journey. They made me feel free and empowered to be exactly as I am -- sparkly and over the top."

After all, it's no secret to fans that the the longstanding LGBTQ+ ally credits the community for her alter ego's continued success — and her posse of stylists for her perfect hair, makeup and wardrobe. (For the record, she currently has nine No. 1 Billboard dance hits.) And the endearingly unfiltered star even says that's where she got her boldness to ooze unapologetic sex appeal.

"I've had the privilege of knowing many incredible people from the LGBTQ+ community in life — family members, friends, mentors, teachers; people who have taught me so much about authenticity, the power of being unique, and what it means to be truly confident in your own skin," she continued in the Billboard letter.

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Embracing the ability to "properly celebrate this bright community that brings so much to our world," she added, "if anyone knows how to celebrate, it’s the LGBTQ+ community, honey! Happy Pride! Thank you for showing me how to be bold and brave and not give a f**k."

She joins the ranks of superstars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato who wrote their own "love letters" to the LGBTQ+ community last June.

So far this year, "No Tears Left to Cry" singer Ariana Grande has also honored her LGBTQ+ fans, namely her brother, Frankie Grande (pictured below with Jayne on the red carpet at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards). "Everything Frankie did, I would do," Grande recalled of her childhood. "I can’t remember a difference between Frankie before he came out and Frankie after he came out. He’s always just been Frankie. Sexuality and gender were never topics my family and I were afraid to discuss."

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The RHOBH previously acknowledged the community just this year in her best-selling memoir Pretty Mess, writing that her alter ego was "built and perfected at Pride performances, gay clubs, and circuit parties."

Indeed, fans of the Bravo series will recall her lavish trip to Mykonos, Greece, in Season 7 when she performed her infectious hit "XXPEN$IVE" for the first time in front of 30,000 concertgoers at XLSIOR Mykonos, billed as "one of the most exclusive international Summer Gay Festivals in the world." And just this April she headlined another high profile LGBTQ+ bash, Palm Springs, California's White Party alongside Kylie Minogue.

Named an LGBTs in the News Ally Entertainer of 2015 for supporting worldwide LGBTQ+ rights, Jayne further showed love, telling TooFab in March she "would love a gay couple" on Real Housewives:

"I'll go on the record to say the first person to put a gay married couple on the show would make me very happy ... However you serve it up, I think that the word [housewives] has evolved so much and has such a different meaning now, why not? Why not put the first gay couple on there? Quite honestly, that would change the dynamic and make it much more interesting and open up the audience to a much bigger place."

The sassy Housewife also went on to issue what we can only hope is a challenge, adding, "But I don't know if anybody's brave enough to do it." (Are you listening, Andy Cohen?)

While she loves singing about things that are "XXPEN$IVE," her love and support for the LGBTQ+ community is priceless.