Hayley Kiyoko is an indie
pop singer-songwriter. Recently she directed and released a music video for her
song ‘One Bad night’ from her third solo EP, ‘Citrine’. The video follows two young
adults both having terrible nights, however the female lead’s night is
significantly worse.
The video follows trans
activist Erin Armstrong as she walks down the street to face constant harassment
from the men she passed, eventually she is pinched down by two men and
repeatedly punched in the face. Luckily the video’s male lead ends up fighting
off her attackers and saving her. The video ends with the two of them at a
diner having a meal together and turning the terrible night into a good one.
Erin Armstrong was the
first transgender person to document her transition on YouTube (today her
channel is still focused on trans issues). Hayley purposely used a trans actress
as her lead. She wanted to bring awareness to the violence that trans people
have to deal with every day. Since a majority of her fan base is a part of the
LGBTQ community most of her songs and music videos related to LGBTQ themes.
Shortly after the video was released she was
asked what she wanted people to get out of the video, she tweeted, ‘human
compassion. To look out for one another. And to find hope in humanity’. Hayley
believes that anyone can become a hero and that their heroic act doesn’t have
to be as drastic as what the male lead did, it could be something as simple as
smiling at someone.
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