Alan Cumming announced on his 58th birthday that he was returning an honor bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009: his Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was surprised by the response to his complicated reasons.

Fourteen years ago, I was incredibly grateful to receive it in the 2009 Queen’s birthday honours list, for it was awarded not just for my job as an actor but ‘for activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, USA’. […]

The Queen’s death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes. Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire).
So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again.

A few days later, he told People:

“I mean, first of all, I didn’t ever expect so much attention about it. It’s been really positive. People really understood why it’s complicated, it’s complex, it’s not a black or white thing. I tried to say that in my statement, and people have really responded to that. I think times are changing and things change, and you change how you feel about something.”

Cumming is not the first person to decline or return an OBE. Others include actors Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy, authors Roald Dahl and Graham Greene, musician George Harrison, chef Nigella Lawson, and comedian John Oliver.

Image: Rolando Rodriguez. / JPI Studios / Avalon