Screen legend Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton have affirmed their support for the LGBTQI community in an interview with .
The pair have collaborated on an educational Netflix series Julie’s Greenroom, which teaches children about the performing arts with the help of a cast of puppets and celebrity guests such as Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett and Idina Menzel.
Hamilton says the show seeks to fill the gap left by rapidly disappearing arts programs for children.
“They are the first thing to be cut in budgets and schools and of course at the administrative level,” she said.
“So from our point of view, we really wanted to advocate for them, because we are so aware of how essential they are.”
The mother and daughter duo also spoke about being as inclusive as they “possibly could within the show”.
Julie Andrews created the new series with her daughter. Source: Youtube/Netflix
Julie’s Greenroom features a non-binary puppet character called Riley - a historic moment for children’s television and LGBTQI representation.
“We really wanted all the characters to be as diverse as possible so that every child watching might see themselves reflected there,” said Hamilton.
“I have a transgender nephew on my father’s side of the family. So I’m extremely aware of how important it is to support and advocate for young people who are experiencing that in their lives.”
Hamilton sent a message to LGBTQI kids living under the Trump administration and those affected by the for transgender students in the US.
Riley is a non-binary puppet featured in 'Julie's Greenroom'. Source: Youtube/Netflix
“Stay strong. Stay true to yourself and to who you are because there is community out there," she said.
"It may not be in your town or perhaps even in your family, but you are wanted and you are loved and there are places in the world where you will be safe and supported.
"It’s really about who you are as an individual and a soul and not about who you are [regarding] gender or anything else. That’s the main message. Know that you are loved and valued.”
“That goes for just about anybody in this world,” Andrews added.
The musical icon continued to say that she has always been an ally of the LGBTQI community.
“I have to say, though, in my hometown, in my community, I was very aware of bias and bigotry, and couldn’t understand it,” she said.
“I was raised not to be that way and not to think that way, and it always seemed puzzling to me that the world wasn’t just embracing human beings.
“But it’s never been something that I stumbled on. It’s just always been innate, thanks I think to the professions that I am in. But also the way I was raised.”
You can watch the trailer for Julie’s Greenroom below:
