The Scottish actor returned the OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) on his 58th birthday.
Alan Cumming celebrated his 58th birthday by giving back something he's had for over a decade. On Friday, the Scottish actor revealed that he is no longer an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire after returning the honor given to him in 2009.
"I want to tell you about something I recently did for myself. I returned my OBE," Cumming wrote on Instagram. The late Queen Elizabeth II awarded Cumming with the honor during her birthday honors list, honoring him for his work as an actor as well as his campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights.
"Fourteen years ago, I was incredibly grateful to receive it in the 2009 Queen's birthday honours list, for it was awarded not just for my job as an actor but 'for activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, USA'...The Queen's death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes," The Traitors star wrote. "Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire)."
He ended the post, writing, "So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I'm now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again. Happy birthday to me!"
On Sunday, the actor told People that the reaction to his move has been "incredible," adding that he didn't expect "so much attention about it."
"It's been really positive," he added. "People really understood why it's complicated, it's complex, it's not a black or white thing. I tried to say that in my statement, and people have really responded to that. I think times are changing and things change, and you change how you feel about something."
Cumming is not the first to hand back or turn down an honor from the British royal family. The actor joins David Bowie, film director Danny Boyle, The Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis and Welsh actor Michael Sheen.
Sheen also received his OBE in 2009 for his services to drama, before handing the award back in 2017. The actor explained that he made the decision after looking into the history of the relationship between England and Wales for a lecture. "By the time I had finished writing that lecture...I remember sitting there going, 'Well, I have a choice — I either don't give this lecture and hold on to my OBE, or I give this lecture and I have to give my OBE back,' " Sheen recalled for The Guardian in 2020.
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