Singer James Blunt Slammed For Homophobic ‘Soap In The Shower’ Comments
For the second time in two weeks, singer James Blunt is making headlines. Sadly for Blunt, the headlines he is making have little to do with his music and are therefore for all the wrong reasons.
On this occasion, the Daily Mail is reporting that Blunt is being slammed for making remarks on Twitter that many interpret as homophobic.
Pop star Blunt has faced a backlash after he tweeted the cover of this week’s New Statesman magazine. The cover features British Prime Minister David Cameron, London Mayor Boris Johnson, Chancellor George Osborne, and other members of the Bullingdon Club. The Bullingdon Club is an exclusive but unofficial all-male students’ dining club at Oxford University, noted for its wealthy members, grand banquets, and boisterous rituals, such as the vandalization of restaurants and college rooms.
The group were pictured sipping champagne and wearing white tie evening attire on the cover of the New Statesman to go with an article on privilege and success.
Forty-year-old Blunt posted the image on Twitter and then joked, “I won’t be picking up the soap when this party moves to the showers.”
The inference, of course, is that he would be subject of forced anal sex were he to bend over to pick up the soap if he were in the shower with the prime minister and his Bullingdon club pals.
I won't be picking up the soap when this party moves to the showers. RT @NewStatesman: http://t.co/8zFYWWHbTo pic.twitter.com/e3W2tWhiUa
— James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) January 28, 2015
Blunt, who comes from a privileged background and attended the exclusive and expensive Harrow public school, was criticized by gay rights campaign group Stonewall.
A spokesperson for the group said, “Although James might have been joking, it’s this sort of language that perpetuates negative stereotypes around gay men and gets deemed as acceptable as it becomes ingrained in society. In 2015 it’s astounding that old ‘jokes’ about gay men dropping the soap in a shower still do the rounds, particularly given today’s popularity of shower cremes.”
The Independent reports that Peter Tatchell, a well know gay rights campaigner, said, “It would be helpful if James could explain what he meant by those words and make it clear he is not homophobic.”
For his own part, Blunt seems to be less than contrite as he took to Twitter to dismiss criticism of his posts as “political correctness.”
Just two weeks ago, James Blunt was again in hot water in the media when he wrote an open letter to Chris Bryant, a member of the UK parliament. Mr. Bryant had made comments that the UK music scene was becoming dominated by artists like James Blunt who come from privileged backgrounds and who, in his view, have an advantage.
In an open letter to the Guardian, Blunt attacked Bryant, claiming that his background was an impediment to success in the music business.
Ironically, James Blunt attacked Bryant for class-based stereotyping. Blunt has been slammed for his comments on both occasions. What do Inquisitr readers think? Are James Blunts’ comments merely a misunderstood joke, or should they be seen as an offensive homophobic remark?
[image – opnlltr.com]
