Patricia Arquette: "It's Time For All the Gay People and All the People of Color to Fight For Us Now"

Source: Getty / Steve Granitz

Patricia Arquette was honored once again this award season for her work in Boyhood when she picked up the Academy Award for best supporting actress at the Oscars in LA on Sunday night. While on stage, she took the opportunity to make a powerful statement about women's equality and equal pay that had Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lopez, and others in the audience nearly jumping out of their seats with excitement. Her discussion of the topic continued in the press room, where she spoke further about women's equality. Read her quotes and her follow up statements on Twitter, and watch the full video below.

"It's time for women. Equal means equal. The truth is the older women get, the less money they make. The highest percentage of children living in poverty are in female-headed households. It's inexcusable that we go around the world and we talk about equal rights for women in other countries and we don't. One of those superior court justices said two years ago in a law speech at a university that we don't have equal rights for women in America and we don't because when they wrote Constitution, they didn't intend it for women. So the truth is even though we sort of feel like we have equal rights in America right under the surface there are huge issues at play that really do affect women. It's time for all the women in America, and all the men that love women and all the gay people and all the people of color that we've all fought for to fight for us now."

Her quotes definitely got people talking, especially those who felt her comments were insensitive to LGBT and race issues. (Though she did get plenty of support from Emma Watson.) She took to Twitter on Monday morning and then again on Tuesday to clarify.

Guess which women are the most negatively effected in wage inequality? Women of color. #Equalpay for ALL women. Women stand together in this — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015

If you are fighting against #Equalpay you are fighting for ALL women and especially women of color to make less money than men. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015

I have long been an advocate for the rights of the #LBGT community. The question is why aren't you an advocate for equality for ALL women? — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015

Women have been basically paying a gender tax for generations. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015

Wage equality will help ALL women of all races in America. It will also help their children and society. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015





I don't care if people are pissed The truth is that wage inequality adversely effects women. pic.twitter.com/5tMjJXgbGz — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

Did you know that a disproportionate amount of children living below the poverty line are from single female households? @ERAeducation — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

This is a call to action. Women are being discriminated and it is having serious consequences on them and their children. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

My children are not living below the poverty line. That does't mean I don't care about the kids who are. DO YOU? Then help their moms. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

.When people say that #Equalpay will devastate the economy they are so far off the mark.The money women make will go back into this economy. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

The #ERA was never passed.94% think it was, Women are left with a patchwork of leaders who believe in things like "legitimate rape". — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

Don't talk to me about privilege. As a kid I lived well below the poverty line. No matter where I am I won't forget women's struggle. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

I was a working single mom at 20. I know how hard it is to pay for diapers and food .Explain why women should be paid less? — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015

The working poor women of this country have been asking for help for decades. If I have "privilege" or a voice I will shine a light on them. — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015