Did Beyoncé appropriate LGBT culture?

[Nycboy 1,043]

Renaissance is one of my favorite albums. I love that it’s super gay sounding, and it genuinely felt like it united the queer community over the past 2 years and left a huge impact. It was a queer movement and celebration. 

Now that Beyoncé released Texas Hold ‘Em, I’ve been feeling a bit uncomfortable listening to it and I wasn’t exactly sure why. But I just realized it. I’m kind of shocked at her hard pivot from queer dance music to middle-of-America country music that appeals to the straights…all within less than 2 years. Pitchfork called her new song “car commercial music” and I agree it does sound like a car commercial with the cheesy whistling. Now that I look back on her last 2 years, it kind of feels to me like she “used” queerness and then disposed of it, like a costume. If she continued making music for the gays, or outwardly showing support to her gay fans (like Madonna or Charli xcx), I wouldn’t feel this way. It would feel more authentic to her vision as an artist.  

Maybe I’m overreacting. Pop stars always cycle through different “eras.” But something about these 2 eras back to back in such a quick timespan feels weird. Anyone else? 

[bowlcutchris 95]

I don’t think it’s appropriation. It’s reclamation of traditionally black genres of music of which house and country are. I think once the trilogy for Renaissance is complete, we will get a better understanding of the whole vision behind the project 

[androiduser 7,438]

not really.... she is paying tribute to black/POC culture, and ballroom is a big part of that... She didn't delete queer people from the house music culture, and paid tribute to everyone

[tylerjs 5,681]

Wouldn’t be very fair of you to hold her responsible for music she didn’t make 

[Bronco 8,928]

The whole purpose of Renaissance & it's upcoming 2nd part is to reclaim music genres that owe a great deal of their existence to Black musicians & Black culture. It's a larger project of which the albums are part, hence the genre shifts. I don't think it's weird at all given the stated purpose of her work atm. 

That said I do agree that it's disappointing that she made great efforts to talk about her connection to House music because of her gay uncle and compared to other artists in the same time period did little to openly support & advocate for the community she was "reclaiming". 
Where as acts like Madonna & P!nk have been using dates in America to actively promote LGBT+ charities, donate books in defiance of bans etc - I don't recall Beyonce doing similar, and I can't find anything on google with a quick search. 

[Charmz 4,134]

I have no opinion on this topic but I am here for the 🍿 

[Plastic Flower 4,432]

As much as I like the album everything is very clearly performative. 

[Vincem 380]

12 minutes ago, tylerjs said:

Wouldn’t be very fair of you to hold her responsible for music she didn’t make 

She might have not been the cook, but she sure was the chef. 

[faysalaaa 4,021]

Is this post a troll? no way anyone thinks like this!

[Roughhouse Dandy 10,595]

2 hours ago, Bronco said:

Where as acts like Madonna & P!nk have been using dates in America to actively promote LGBT+ charities, donate books in defiance of bans etc - I don't recall Beyonce doing similar, and I can't find anything on google with a quick search. 

She did. She even held a free ball in NYC as a fundraiser for several charities featuring the houses she called out in the album 💜

A lot of the philanthropy her family does is kept on the low. They do a LOT for marginalized communities. 

[REALITY 75,593]

As others have already said, the entire Renaissance era was a tribute to house music, which is largely prevalent in ballroom & queer—specifically Black queer—culture. But also, Beyonce's been a prominent queer icon for more than a decade, so it's not far-fetched for her to incorporate queer culture into her music. Like, if Carrie Underwood suddenly pivoted to house music and started promoting ballroom culture at her shows, that's a different story

Also, country music/being from the country and queerness are not mutually exclusive. I'm from Texas and have lived here for the majority of my life, but that doesn't make me any less queer. Sure, the attitudes towards queer people in the South are very different from other, more liberal, places in the States, but just because she pivoted to country music doesn't negate what she did with Renaissance.

[TheSine 6,169]

Didn't we say the same thing about Madonna with Vogue at one point...?

[Elusive Chanteuse 144]

30 minutes ago, Nycboy said:

Renaissance is one of my favorite albums. I love that it’s super gay sounding, and it genuinely felt like it united the queer community over the past 2 years and left a huge impact. It was a queer movement and celebration. 

Now that Beyoncé released Texas Hold ‘Em, I’ve been feeling a bit uncomfortable listening to it and I wasn’t exactly sure why. But I just realized it. I’m kind of shocked at her hard pivot from queer dance music to middle-of-America country music that appeals to the straights…all within less than 2 years. Pitchfork called her new song “car commercial music” and I agree it does sound like a car commercial with the cheesy whistling. Now that I look back on her last 2 years, it kind of feels to me like she “used” queerness and then disposed of it, like a costume. If she continued making music for the gays, or outwardly showing support to her gay fans (like Madonna or Charli xcx), I wouldn’t feel this way. It would feel more authentic to her vision as an artist.  

Maybe I’m overreacting. Pop stars always cycle through different “eras.” But something about these 2 eras back to back in such a quick timespan feels weird. Anyone else? 

I dont think id call it appropriation.. i think she was more paying homage to a culture shared between queer people and black people, typically of the new york ballroom scene. i can see what u mean but representation and championing of genres that uplift minorities on such a major level is super important

[tylerjs 5,681]

7 minutes ago, Vincem said:

She might have not been the cook, but she sure was the chef. 

[Pennywise 36,046]

19 minutes ago, Charmz said:

I have no opinion on this topic but I am here for the 🍿 

Gurl I ran like "oh we are going for THOSE questions are we"