It’s a fact that LGBTQIA+ rights are a rising subject, and that is something to be celebrated for sure. It’s very important to the whole community that these matters are finally coming to light, and changing the world, little by little, into a safer place for everyone. Of course, a lot of artists try to help in the process, using their voices to spread the word regarding the community.
However, over the last few years, the discussion has switched a bit. Some people are now demanding that artists come out to support the movement. Celebrities such as Harry Styles and Billie Eilish are constantly targets of these requests, and it’s important to understand why this is so problematic.
POWERFUL VOICES x PERSONAL BOUNDARIES
Famous people, in general, have a huge power: their voices. Because they can reach so many people, their voice becomes an essential instrument when it comes to defending big causes. With the LGBTQIA+ movement, it’s no different, and a lot of artists have always embraced it in some way, from Madonna to Ariana Grande.
Yet, even though they’re famous, and their voice should be used to help, some limits must be respected. Artists are still humans with personal lives, and that can’t be forgotten. Sexuality is a very delicate subject to many people, and it’s wrong to pressure anyone to tell the world what theirs is. Not only that, to some, explaining their sexuality is unnecessary, and that is totally okay.
Celebrities can feel that way too, once they’re people just like me and you. Harry Styles is a great example of that. The singer is known for being a huge supporter of the queer community, by always carrying pride flags and also donating to charities related to the cause. Still, a lot of people continue to insist that Styles should come out, alleging that this is the only way he can truly help the movement, but the former One Direction member disagrees.
In a recent interview with Better Homes & Gardens, he said: “For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life. I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with”, proving once again how sexuality, in general, can be personal. Harry also pointed out that he thinks that demanding that he disclose his identity is outdated. He said: “I’ve been open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine. The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.”
Coming out is a truly special and personal moment to most people who decide to do it, and it should always be respected, whether they’re a celebrity or not.
STEREOTYPES REINFORCED
Pressuring celebrities to come out also carries another problem, that is assuming their sexuality. Maybe you don’t think that this is a big problem if you’re not familiar with the cause, but it’s a very damaging act to the movement. By assuming someone’s sexuality you reinforce a certain stereotype, like a more feminine man being labeled as gay when that’s not necessarily true, and that is very harmful to the queer community itself. Stereotypes bring more attention to the specific people who represent them and attract more violence towards them.
The singer and songwriter Marie Ulven, known as Girl In Red, has been a target of the stereotype problem since her first appearance under the spotlight. Not only because of the lyrics she writes, like “We fell in love in October/That’s why, I love fall/Looking at the stars/Admiring from afar/My girl, my girl, my girl/You will be my girl” (“We fell in love in October”), but also for the way she dresses, fans have always assumed and affirmed that the artist was a lesbian, even though she said that she would rather be identified as queer.
QUEERBAITING ALLEGATIONS
Queerbaiting is probably the most commonly used argument when it comes to celebrities who are engaged in the LGBTQIA+ discussion but never came out. Firstly, it’s important to understand what exactly is that term.
To make it simple with the Wikipedia definition, queerbaiting is “a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBT representation”.
In that matter, there are a few things to be taken into account: queerbaiting is a coward move to attract the queer public, but at the same time, to not lose the more conservative audience, because the subject is not developed into something real. So, how could a real person queerbait? It’s not actually possible, because they’re not writing their lives down, like a TV show. They’re just living it. Accusing a celebrity of queerbaiting is, again, disrespectful to their personal life.
It’s pretty easy to forget that famous people are humans just like me and you. We tend to see them as individuals that are so high above us because of the power they have. And they do have power. But that doesn’t mean they have to give up their own personal limits. Let’s try to remember that everyone has the right to come out in their own time if they decide to do so.
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The article above was edited by Julia Queiroz.
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