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Ariana Grande Responds to Claims She's 'Exploiting' LGBTQ Fans
"I do think there's room for us to talk about these issues without equating a peformance for an LGBTQ audience with exploitation of the LGBTQ community."
Pop singer and vocal LGBTQ ally Ariana Grande is taking to Twitter to respond to claims that she is "exploiting" the queer community.
"idk....ariana headlining pride when she’s straight (as far as we’re all aware)....and doubling the price of tickets....kinda smells like exploitation of the lgbt community to me.....," Twitter user @raininjulyvinyl said in a viral tweet earlier this week after it was announced that the Grammy winner would be headlining this year's Manchester Pride festival later this year in August.
They continued:
\u201cjust to make it clear i\u2019m not blaming ariana ! i know she\u2019s done so much for manchester etc so i understand the sentiment behind it, and i know there\u2019s management and organisation staff involved so it\u2019s not her fault about prices or anything\u201d— sammie (@sammie) 1551197017
\u201ci just find it a bit weird/uncomfortable when it\u2019s a festival celebrating being proud of your lgbt identity and then a straight artist is chosen to be the headliner and \u2018face\u2019 of the whole event\u201d— sammie (@sammie) 1551197017
The "7 Rings" singer then replied to the tweet, issuing a statement of her own.
None— \u1d04\u029c\u1d00\u0280\u029f (@\u1d04\u029c\u1d00\u0280\u029f) 1551294245
"I have nothing to do with ticket pricing—Manchester Pride sets those rates, and they’re mostly out of my control," Ari wrote. "The LGBTQ community has been so special to me and supportive throughout my career. The relationships I have with LGBTQ fans, friends, and family make me so happy. I want to celebrate and support this community regardless of my identity or how people label me. And also I wanna visit a city that means so much to me. LGBTQ representation is incredibly important, and I’m always proud to share that stage with LGBTQ artists!"
She then continued:
"I do think there's room for us to talk about these issues without equating a peformance for an LGBTQ audience with exploitation of the LGBTQ community."
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
