Bono recently became the first man to win Glamour’s annual Woman of the Year award, and last night with his acceptance speech, the U2 frontman proved why he was deserving of such an honor.
After being introduced to the stage by Amy Poehler and jokingly reading a couple of mean tweets, Bono spoke about the role men have played in the creation and propagation of sexism. “There is nowhere on Earth where women have the same opportunities as men, and that unless we address this problem, both women and men together — our world will continue down this misogynistic, violent, and impoverished path,” he said.
Much of his speech echoed his ONE campaign, which worked all last year to spread the “Poverty is Sexist” movement and shine a light on the impoverished women across the globe who are denied education. “Poverty is worse for women and girls,” continued Bono. “It denies them the essentials like human rights and health, but it also denies them a way out through education and opportunity. They can work the land, but they can’t own it. They can earn the money, but they can’t bank it.”
The frontman also called on the world to follow in his footsteps. In particular, he closed his speech by calling on Donald Trump to acknowledge and abandon his sexist ways: “So, I say to the president-elect: Look across to women. Make equality a priority. It is the only way forward. The train is leaving the station. Be on it or be under it.”
Watch Bono’s speech in full below (starts around the 1:27:30 mark). Glamour has also transcribed the entire thing here.
