Column: Who cares about Billie Eilish’s sexual orientation?
This last week, two conflicting messages have emerged from the world of pop culture, and I am unsure which represents progress.
In one corner we have “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” — a cinematic showcase and celebration of the queer influence in her latest tour and music. This last weekend it opened No. 1 at the box office, a testament to her gravity and artistry.
Opinion Columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports and navigating life in America.
In the other corner, we have Billie Eilish accusing Variety magazine of outing her. The Grammy and Oscar winner turned to Instagram to express her displeasure, using phrases such as “instead of talking about anything else that matters” and “literally who cares.”
For context: Variety did not out Eilish.
She had mentioned in an on-the-record interview that she was “physically attracted” to women and that “I’ve never really felt like a girl,” and this was reported in a Variety cover story in November. The fact that Eilish initially spoke to the magazine about her attraction to women so nonchalantly was refreshing. It revealed a measure of peace about her identity as opposed to trepidation.
Abuse by partners is all too common, faced by more than 40% of American women. It’s also largely ignored.
Her objection came later, after a red-carpet event on Saturday where she faced questions about the comments. Maybe the context felt confrontational. Who knows. What’s clear is she doesn’t think sexual orientation is a topic for the public to dwell on.
Beyoncé very much does. She reportedly began construction of the album and tour nearly five years ago, aiming from the outset to elevate the contributions and lives of queer people of color — particularly those who are trans and nonbinary. This began as an homage to her fans as well as her gay “Uncle Johnny” who introduced her to aspects of queer culture that influence her today.
A beloved pastor in Alabama killed himself after photos were published online showing him in women’s clothing. The sad story is all too familiar.
So there’s one answer to Eilish’s question of “who cares” about a person’s sexuality: Many of the people seen in Beyoncé’s concert film care about representation. The ones who couldn’t hide growing up. The ones who did and hated it. The ones who never thought they would see someone like themselves on the big screen.
You know who else cares? Crusaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
He cares so much he’s spent much of his professional life attacking queer rights. We recently learned he wrote a forward to a book that included anti-gay sentiment. And now he’s second in line to the presidency.
He has devoted his career to demeaning, endangering and imprisoning LGBTQ+ people. That’s the résumé House Republicans were looking for.
Eilish, who is 21, wasn’t really wondering who cares about sexual orientation. She probably meant the remark to suggest what should be a societal norm, as in: Why is her sexual orientation a topic worth discussing anyway? Such a fair point. Unless she’s now dating Taylor Swift, who cares, right? That is the goal: to have it not matter.
Eilish’s sexual orientation and gender identity shouldn’t matter, but we don’t yet live in that world. We live in a world where 315 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced last year. Where more than 520 had already been floated by May of this year: laws against drag, against gender-affirming care, against books. Laws enshrining a right to discriminate.
I know what Eilish was trying to say.
I also know what conservatives are doing in the world that we live in now.
The disconnect explains why the Renaissance tour resonated in the manner in which it did.
It wasn’t about making political statements in defiance of those who seek to do us harm. It was about being heard despite the legislative and cultural attempts to silence us. Remember, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cares so much about us that he championed a “don’t say gay” bill.
So as much as I embrace progress toward a time when sexual orientation and gender identity are non-issues, I can’t yet think “who cares?” The Republican Party is constantly reminding us that they do: They want queer people erased. The Beyoncé fan base resoundingly told us that they, too, care about representation: They need to see queer people of color celebrated at long last.
Unfortunately, Eilish’s “who cares” comment is more aspirational than a sign we have actually progressed to that point as a society. No matter how good it feels to say it.
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