Alan Cumming Returns British Honor Over ‘Toxicity of Empire’

Scottish actor Alan Cumming has returned an honor from the government and monarchy of Great Britain, announced on Instagram on Friday, writing in a post that he did not want to be associated with “emperial toxicity.”

Mr Cumming, the host of the US version of the reality competition show ‘The Traitors’, joins the tradition of people turning down the Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, and similar honours, such as the titles of gentleman or lady

The order is given to reward people for their achievements and contributions in a variety of fields. A committee of civil servants and people who do not work in the government recommend people for the honor. The committee’s recommendations are given to the prime minister, who then hands the list over to the king, who bestows the honours.

Mr Cumming received his OBE in 2009, writing in an Instagram post marking his 58th birthday on Friday that he had “recently” returned the honour. He said he was “incredibly grateful” to receive the honor because it recognized his activism for gay rights in the United States, where he is a citizen, as well as his acting work, which has included roles on film, television and stage. .

He said the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September and the talks it sparked about the role of the monarchy had led him to reconsider the honour. The end of the queen’s seven-decade reign reignited discussions about the legacy of British colonialism and the role of the monarchy in the slave trade.

“The death of the Queen and the subsequent conversations about the role of the monarchy and especially the way in which the British Empire benefited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples around the world really opened my eyes,” he wrote. Mr. Cumming. “Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good that the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause in 2009 is now less potent than the doubts I have about the toxicity of empire.”

Mr. Cumming, who was recently on the television series “Schmigadoon!” and “The Good Fight,” he said when he returned the honor, he explained himself and “reiterated my big thanks for giving it in the first place.”

People often turn down the OBE and similar honors when first offered, including the higher honors of knighthood and dame, which allow people to use the title of Sir or Dame. Far fewer people have accepted, and then rejected, the awards.

In November 1969, John Lennon returned his Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE, title to protest Britain’s role in the Nigerian civil war and Britain’s political support for the Vietnam War. Lennon said that he had been thinking of returning the award for several years and that he had been waiting for “an event to link it.”

In 2012, the British government published a list of 277 people who had refused a British honor between 1951 and 1999, including authors Roald Dahl and Aldous Huxley and artist Lucian Freud. (The list appeared to be partial.) People who have declined these honors have provided reasons that include opposition to the legacy of colonialism empirethe monarchy in general or the policies of the government.

David Bowie turned down an award making him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in 2000 because, he explained, “I seriously don’t know what it’s for.”

John Oliver, the late-night TV presenter, said In an interview on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” that he had turned down the OBE because it was “loaded.” Mr Oliver said: “The ‘BE’ part of that is a big thing to want after his last name.”