CULTURE

Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson’s Relationship Is a Gift

Cara Delevingne's public declaration of love for her girlfriend is a reminder of what Pride month is really about.

On Monday, Cara Delevingne received the Hero Award from the Trevor Project for her support for LGBTQ+ causes.

In her speech, she discussed the challenges of being queer in Hollywood, and she had some special people to thank, including a very special woman in her life: her girlfriend, Ashley Benson.

"She's one of the people who helped me love myself when I needed it most," Delevingne said. "She showed me what real love is and showed me how to accept it, which is a lot harder than I thought. I love you, Sprinkles," she said, setting every lesbian and bisexual's heart aflame and giving us all the Pride Month gift that we never knew we needed.

Later, Delevingne shared that she decided to go public with the news of the relationship for two reasons: first, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that launched Pride, and second, because this month marks their one year anniversary.

Though they had never actually discussed their relationship in the public eye until this week, fans had long known that sparks were flying—the two were photographed kissing in London last August, and they appeared together frequently over the course of the year, even sticking up for each other when trolls left hateful comments on Benson's Instagram.

They fueled the flames when adorable photos of them cuddling in a car and riding roller coasters together appeared online, along with their matching outfits and extravagant celebrations (Delevingne rented out the Natural History Museum in London for her girlfriend's 29th birthday).

Things reached a fever pitch at the absolutely iconic moment when they were photographed carrying a $400 sex bench into their apartment on May 29th, effectively ringing in Pride Month, as one Twitter user noted.

Their relationship is just a gift that keeps on giving. As a cherry on top, Delevingne later shared this clip of the two passionately kissing, illuminated by sultry red lights.

Benson and Delevingne's admission comes at a time where Pride is rapidly being commodified and distorted beyond recognition. As LGBTQ+ acceptance becomes more mainstream, countless companies and powerful figures (cough, Taylor Swift) are adopting rainbow flag logos in order to sell their products or present an illusion of allyship when all they want is profit.

This fundamentally distorts the meaning of Pride—which began as a riot when Marsha P. Johnson threw a brick at a cop, but is ultimately supposed to be about activism and love. In light of Delevingne's work for the Trevor Project and open proclamation of love for her lady, her relationship with Benson is a gem that reminds us what the rainbow flag really stands for.