Katy Perry Joins Lady Gaga And Ariana Grande In Getting Bashed For LGBT Support

Twenty-years ago, there were only a handful of celebrities that openly supported LGBT rights. Some wonder if the LGBT community has become too complacent, or that some just don’t remember a time when the LGBT community was so marginalized that many young gay men killed themselves out of a fear of being outed.

The LGBT community has a a lot of allies now, but instead of appreciating them, some think artists such as Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and even Lady Gaga (who set up a foundation to support LGBT youth) are exploiting the community to further their careers. Katy Perry found herself the target of some backlash after receiving an award and speaking out at the Human Rights Campaign Gala this past weekend. Mashable talks about Perry’s speech.

“Quinoa Queen and pop icon Katy Perry gave a powerful account of her past struggles with her sexuality in a speech for the Human Rights Campaign Gala on Saturday night. Accepting the National Equality Award, Perry told the audience that as a young person she would ‘pray the gay away’ at Christian conversion camp.”

After Perry admitted that homosexuality was synonymous with the word “abomination,” she admitted to doing more than “kissing a girl and liking it,” the topic of her 2008 No. 1 hit. This was the first time Perry identified as bisexual.

Responses to an article on the topic by Queerty were not too kind to Perry.

“It’s hard for me to respect someone who used their same-sex hook-up as sensationalistic, male-gazing way to get famous. But I’ve learned to not put any merit in the words of these pop performers who have many bills paid by gay dollars. Even Gaga,” says Donston.

“Katy Perry is a talentless hack spewing out bland pablum,” comments Blackhook.

The responses to Perry’s sudden bisexuality weren’t full of love on Towleroad either.

“Sorry but I don’t believe a word of what Katy Perry is saying. I get fake vibes from her, sort of like that fake lesbian vibe that certain attention-seeking women give out,” says Jason Evans.

“Sorry, I like Katy Perry. But this seems so fake of her to do. I think it’s great that big stars like she, Gaga, and Madonna speak out for our community, but they seem to use us as marketing doormats,” claims Carolyn Weber.

Several on Twitter weren’t convinced by Katy Perry’s new bisexuality either.

Katy Perry, after building her career on songs about partying and getting drunk is now using LGBT rights to sell albums. Disgraceful ?

— Brian ? (@ProfBTorres) March 20, 2017

However, Katy Perry has always been an ally to the LGBT community, if not explicitly so. Her 2011 song “Firework” was about overcoming being different and she has said in previous interviews that she was thinking of all the gay kids being bullied when she recorded the song. She has also given shout-outs to the LGBT community at several of her concerts, including ones in places where the LGBT community isn’t as accepted as it is now in the United States.

Ariana Grande is another LGBT supporter who gets some criticism. In 2015, the Inquisitr reported that Ariana Grande suffered some backlash after she tweeted her support for the Supreme Court’s decision to make gay marriage legal nationwide. Some people on Twitter actually told Grande she was selfish and a “former” homophobe, even though there has been no actual proof of that accusation whatsoever.

In 2011, Lady Gaga released “Born This Way,” a song she said would be the biggest LGBT anthem of all time. Many in the gay community reacted negatively and claimed that the LGBT community chooses their anthems; they don’t like being dictated to by a pop star. The Daily Beast reported that when the song was released, many in the LGBT community turned against Gaga because they thought the song was nothing but a pandering piece of pop. Gaga didn’t let the criticism stop her from creating the Born This Way Foundation, which has helped with causes related to LGBT youth.

Do you think the LGBT community has become too complacent with their rights and is turning on artists like Katy Perry, who want to help? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

[Featured Image by Jordan Strauss/AP Images]