Ariana Grande is donating a portion of the proceeds from her June 8 concert in Atlanta to Planned Parenthood, Variety has confirmed, as a rash of anti-abortion laws are being enacted in several states, including Georgia. The news was first reported by People, which said the donation was for $250,000.
“Ariana Grande’s generous donation comes at a critical time — in Georgia and across the country, anti-women’s health politicians are trying to ban all safe, legal abortion,” said Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Dr. Leana Wen in a statement. “This is not what the American people want, nor is it something they’ll stand for. Thanks to inspiring support like hers, Planned Parenthood can continue to fight back — in the courts, in Congress, in state houses, and in the streets — against these dangerous attacks on people’s health and lives.
“We are so grateful to Ariana for her longstanding commitment to supporting women’s rights and standing with Planned Parenthood to defend access to reproductive health care,” she continued. “We won’t stop fighting — no matter what.”
The donation comes days after anti-gay demonstrators protested outside of the Atlanta concert over the weekend. A protester was filmed holding a banner with the word ‘Pride’ crossed out.
Grande responded to a video of the footage on Twitter, saying she was “saddened but not surprised by this one bit. … I’m so sorry that any of my fans had to encounter this. We will do our best to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Proud of u all for not fighting / engaging violently. Never worth it. Wishing him peace & a healed heart cause girl yikes.”
She added, “He is highly outnumbered, you are all so celebrated and loved and safe.”