Actress and screenwriter Lena Waithe said she wants LGBTQ people of color to be out and proud on behalf of the kids coming up behind them during an appearance on The View Wednesday morning.

“Honestly, we have to be a bit of a beacon of light for those young kids of color who are wondering like, 'Am I weird?' 'Is something wrong with me?' 'What quality of life might I have?'" she said.

Waithe lamented that Hollywood remains a great example of the lack of LGBTQ representation when it comes to people of color.

“Probably you could count them on one or two hands? The numbers don't add up … There's a lot of us, but a lot of us don't want to be public about it," she said. Despite this, she doesn’t think her expression is “revolutionary” because it’s merely a part of her.

“I don't know how to not be gay as hell or black as hell. That is who I am!" she added.

Waithe, who made history when she became the first black woman to win a comedy writing Emmy in September, also discussed the riveting speech she made following her win. She said she was inspired by Halle Berry, the first black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar and her inclusive speech.

“I remember watching that speech and her making it about everyone," Waithe said.

She explained that she hoped pay homage with the speech to other black women writers like Living Single’s Yvette Lee Bowser, who opened the doors for her career.

“They've been beating these doors for so long — so when I came up, I just had to kinda push it with a finger and walk through," she said.

"I know I'm not the first black woman to write a funny half-hour script … the stars had to align and I ended up being the vessel, so I wanted to make sure I shared that moment."

Check out the full interview below:

Black woman writers

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