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The actor-comedian loudly supports his queer and trans family and will troll you for wanting otherwise.
Actor, comedian, and father Marlon Wayans can now add a few new titles to his already impressive repertoire: staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and god-tier-level-anti-homophobe troll.
On June 14, Wayans took to Instagram to wish the community a Happy Pride. With a photo of himself draped in a rainbow flag and a caption wishing a happy pride to “[his] LGBTQ+ peoples,” Wayans expressed his love and support for the community (as well as clarified that he identifies as straight and cisgender).
Wayans’ post was met with a lot of praise from fans as well as queer celebrities. Janelle Monáe expressed their gratitude to Wayans and wished him a Happy Pride in return. Meanwhile, Todrick Hall, who similarly offered a thank you to Wayans for his support, said that “we need more Black fathers like [him].”
Unfortunately, as is often the case when a celebrity, a member of the LGBTQ+ community themself or not, takes to social media to express support, Wayans was also faced with a number of negative comments. Although the support definitely outweighed the hate, Wayans’ post received a fair share of comments with negative gif reactions, explanations of why Wayans is going to hell, and simply the word “unfollowing.”
Wayans’ reaction to the hate? Another, even more aggressively rainbow Instagram post.
The day after his first post went live, Wayans took to the platform with a second photo, this time draped in a flag, dawning a black bucket hat with a rainbow stripe, and surrounded by multi-colored balls. His caption was directed to the haters “Yeah and just for the HATE MONGERS …I’m posting ANOTHER.” The actor goes on to explain that as the father of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, he gives “zero fucks” what people think. If he lost you as a follower for supporting his child, good riddance.
When met with yet again more hate, how did Wayans react? With ANOTHER pride post. And another. And another—this one in which he responds to a hate comment with “I should have my niece fuck you with her strap on.” In his own words, Wayans is a “troll” who can do this all month and will make a hate “question [their] life and pitiful existence.”
Being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community is a personal choice for Wayans. In an appearance on The Breakfast Club last fall, the comedian announced that his oldest child transitioned and explained that that process was a learning curve for him, one that he was willing to embrace. “I have a daughter that transitioned into a son. My daughter Amai is now Kai,” he explains. “So I talk about the transition. Not their transition, my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to unconditional love and acceptance.”
Although Wayans maybe the first to troll haters so aggressively, is not the first celebrity parent in recent years to show support for their LGBTQ+ children. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade have been publicly supportive of their daughter, Zaya Wade, since she first came out as transgender four years ago. Together, the NBA all star, who recently won an award for his transgender advocacy, and his daughter just launched Translatable, an online resource for trans youth and their families. In 2021, Jamie Lee Curtis revealed that her youngest child, Ruby, is trans and expressed how proud she is of the person her daughter has become.
It is no secret that the general public looks to celebrities (for better or for worse) for guidance and in a time when LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly being stripped away across the United States, it is equally increasingly important for public figures like Marlon Wayans to stand up for the LGBTQ+ community, even if that means trolling haters.
