Billy Porter hits out at Vogue

[Chlorine Sevigny 45,560]

He’s absolutely justified to feel that way, I just would have kept it to myself because it makes him look bitter when the whole point of starting a conversation is so… people can participate in that conversation. 

He wants the recognition and it’s understandable, but again, doesn’t come off great when you’re putting your own ego ahead of the movement. 

[Suspiria 10,683]

Isn't it gatekeeping to say that wearing dresses and stuff is for queer people. Like isn't the goal that everyone should feel comfortable wearing anything, regardless of gender or sexuality?

Surely a straight (idk if Harry is straight but I'm talking from Billy's perspective) cis man wearing a dress is the most extreme end goal, and therefore a great choice for a cover person?

[Suspiria 10,683]

2 hours ago, bionic said:

Yes we should but Harry is praised for it while Billy etc are still judged for it. Harry gets to take the costume off but for other people it is their lives and people still don't understand and accept it.

Sorry but way more people judged Harry than Billy. I actually don't personally recall ever seeing anyone ever mock Billy for wearing a dress.

But anyway - what do you mean Harry can 'take the costume off'. We're talking about clothing here, anyone can take it off, it's their choice. Why does Billy have any more right to claim dresses than Harry?

[River 90,923]

Not every man that wears dresses is queer, I think we moved on from this old toxic masculinity idea, straights can wear dresses and heels too and must be encouraged that it's awesome and great and gays should stop act like a jealous bitches.

[Reality 65,739]

6 hours ago, enissa11 said:

we're a dissent community, in this world you straight until you get out of the closet, that's the reality, we need more representation in the media, you can't conclude he's queer if he doesn't says so and give up the privileges of straight ppl. maybe he f*cks some guys in private but in the end what does it matter really?

But who are you, or anyone else for that matter, to say whether or not he should come out if he is in fact queer? We need more representation in media, absolutely, but coming out is also a deeply personal choice that someone choose to make. So what about all the non-famous people out there in the world that are queer but have not come out yet? Are they "benefitting" from straight priviledge? No. They just have not chosen to come out yet for personal reasons. Just because Harry is a celebrity doesn't change the fact that he still needs to come out when he feels like he's ready (IF he is queer).

6 hours ago, enissa11 said:

yes you're completely right but also let's not put these people in the places that deserve the ones that really have the courage to live their truth in this judgemental and discriminatory social system, that's billy's point.

At the end of the day though, Harry still represents the shifting gender norms in society. He's certainly not the ONLY person to do that (hell, Bowie did that in the 70s and 80s), but it's not like that's inherently a bad thing. Billy Porter can (and should) be more recognized as well. It's not an either/or scenario. You can highlight both people. 

I also have the problem with the statement, "...the ones that really have the courage to live their truth in this judgemental and discriminatory social system." Being LGBTQ, in general, is a personal journey that people take on their own time and in their own set of circumstances. Pain and trauma are relative and I have a big problem with people thinking that one kind of experience is "worse" than another. We shouldn't be analyzing different people's personal experiences and saying, "well, this person had more courage and actually dealt with real stuff while that person's experiences aren't as traumatic, so it's whatever."

6 hours ago, enissa11 said:

i think he is actually...

Harry just doesn't strike me as someone who's trying to maliciously use the LGBTQ community in order to profit off of it. He may or may not be queer himself, so who's to say he's appropraiting queer culture?  

Besides, isn't the whole point of "genderfluid", androgynous fashion the fact that anyone could wear it? The appeal of gender-defying fashion is to inform people that at the end of the day, these are just pieces of fabric. A boy can wear a dress if he wants to and it shouldn't matter because they're just clothes. That's part of changing into a more progressive society. 

[Reality 65,739]

3 hours ago, BradleyCooper said:

I totally get what you’re saying, but it’s just a little odd from my perspective only cause I’ve always tried to be proud of my sexuality and not necessarily define myself with it, but instead celebrate it so that those who are struggling with the same things find comfort in knowing there are others like them and that you can be yourself and not have to hide anything to be accepted. But I understand that not everyone is like that and some people would rather be private. I think that’s why I like Lil Nas X so much because he just doesn’t care and is so open about it, especially considering how homophobic the rap community can be.

I think that's the point though. Harry can wear dresses and feminine clothing and decide not to disclose his sexuality because at the end of the day, they're just clothes. They're just pieces of fabric sowed together. You don't need to be queer to wear "gender-defying" clothing. Just wear whatever you want to wear and identify with whatever you want to identify with. Isn't that what we, the LGBTQ community, have been fighting for for decades? Just making things normalized...?

[chromaticainmyhead 5,493]

Being salty about it is not the elegant way to handle this situation but his feelings are justified nevertheless. It's sad that the one who paved the way for people like Harry feels unseen in his legacy. He deserves recognition on such scale as well and his skin colour definitely pays a big role in this situation. On the other hand - speaking about politics - reactions on such topics like his' are more and more the reason why this will never break the bubble of the left and reach the people who need to be touched with these picture - who can at any time abolish gender-fluid fashion and bending gender norms. Conservative / right wing people need to be touched by a strong and unified left. This is not the way to get us unified

[phantasmas 8,359]

Absolutely 

[elijahfan 23,564]

4 hours ago, bionic said:

Yes we should but Harry is praised for it while Billy etc are still judged for it.

Is he really?  I'm sorry, but that sounds dishonest. Saying Harry didn't receive backlash, or much less than Porter, is a flat out lie.

[Wolf Boy 2,931]

Billy Porter’s ego is as big as his skirt. 

[SKANK 14,288]

Brad Pitt and Kurt Cobain wore dresses on the cover of magazines 20 years ago, Harry is following in their footsteps.

Billy is wonderful, but he absolutely did not "create the conversation about non-binary fashion."  That is pure ego talking.

[Suspiria 10,683]

I think the fact we are talking passionately about this an entire year after the cover came out, is very strong proof that Harry was an excellent choice for this cover.

[HEARTSTOP 3,109]

6 hours ago, alsemanche said:

His frustration is totally justifiable 

But this is a reach. Did he contribute to making the conversation mainstream? sure, but he definitely did not create it 

Exactly this. I get his point, but his entitlement is completely out of proportion.

[RenegAde 16,114]

6 hours ago, bionic said:

I would be salty too if my gender-forward fashion was sidelined in favor of a watered-down version by a straight white man

Exactly my thought, people like Billy crawled so that people like Harry could walk 

[Noir 12,676]

Billy isn't wrong tbf