Dear Gays, Please Don’t Throw Things At Artists On Stage

Is it a funny moment? We guess. Lil Nas X certainly took it in stride. But it’s part of a string of similar incidents that have ranged from weird to actually dangerous.

Last weekend, Pink was performing at the British Summer Time Festival in London when a fan threw a mysterious bag onto the stage. The “Raise Your Glass’’ singer inspected it and realized it was ashes. “Is this your mom?” she asked, before saying “I don’t know how I feel about this” and continuing her performance.

While that was certainly unsettling, not everyone has been as lucky as Pink and Lil Nas X and could just laugh off the experience. Kelsea Ballerini was actually struck by an unidentified object thrown at her by a fan during a concert in Boise, Idaho in late June. While she was apparently uninjured, she implored her fans not to throw things at her before carrying on with the performance.

Kelsea Ballerini Leaves Stage After Being Hit by Object Thrown by Fan

The most upsetting incident of all occurred last month when Bebe Rexha was injured by a fan who threw a mobile phone at the singer’s face, striking her and leaving a gash above her eye. The “I’m Good (Blue)” collapsed when she was hit and required stitches.

In this case, the assailant was identified, arrested, and charged with assault. Rexha returned to the stage yesterday in Los Angeles wearing protective eye gear.

To be clear, it’s not known if these items were thrown by members of our community, but we can make sure that we aren’t the ones participating in this behavior — and are shutting it down when we see the potential for it to happen. It’s not cute and it’s not funny. We get it, seeing Mother onstage is exciting and overwhelming for any fan, but that doesn’t make this behavior OK. Let’s do better and protect the queens we love and who, importantly, love and support us back.