Billy Porter has been in London this month to hype his new album, Black Mona Lisa. That’s why he’s giving interviews, he’s not promoting struck work during the SAG-AFTRA strike. He’s in the union and he supports the strike, and he’s even talked about how he has to sell his apartment in New York because he isn’t being paid properly. I personally think that more actors should be giving interviews during the strike, not to promote specific projects, but to talk in greater depth about how the industry has changed and how the residual system is broken. Porter does talk about that, but the biggest headlines from Porter’s latest interview, in the Telegraph, is that he’s still mad that cis, hetero white folks adopt/appropriate queer culture. He name-checks Harry Styles and calls Anna Wintour “that bitch.” Some highlights:
He was told that his queerness was a liability: “I was told from allies and haters alike that my queerness would be my liability. And it was, for decades. But you find [the drive] or you die on the vine. There’s no real choice. I choose life, period. I will always choose life.”
The SAG-AFTRA strike: Porter is hopeful about their impact, but says the UK is a better place to be an artist. “You all revere the arts. Everybody, no matter what socioeconomic [background], the arts is a thing. And that is not America. “That’s why we’re striking, because they think they could just do it with anybody… and we should be getting six-cent cheques. I already have to sell my house. And I’m one of the lucky ones who works all the time … I’m still cheque to cheque.” That won’t change until he makes “f— you money…And I have not made f— you money yet … I’m on the way.”
He’s in London meeting theatre producers. “It’s time for me to do something in the West End. It’s time for my name to be above the title.”
He does have one bone to pick with the British theater community: “I shouldn’t have to pay $15 to know who is in the play after I’ve given you $100.” In America, playbills are free. “You can give me a two-page pamphlet with inserts of the understudies. It’s not that expensive. It’s so disrespectful to the work that we do. Unless you’re a star and people are coming to see you, nobody knows your name? We do eight shows a f—— week. It’s not fair. I do not like that.”
He did a Q&A with Anna Wintour in front of Condé Nast staff several years ago. “That b—- said to me at the end, ‘How can we do better?’ And I was so taken off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said.” Which was? “Use your power as Vogue to uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement … Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover.”
Harry Styles is not the problem: His problem isn’t with Styles (after he first spoke out against the cover, Porter sent him flowers “as an apology”). “It’s not Harry Styles’s fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way … I call out the gatekeepers.” Styles, however, is “white and he’s straight. That’s why he’s on the cover. Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community – or your people are using my community – to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything.”
The “does Harry Styles queerbait” thing is a discussion way above my paygrade, but I’ll give you my take. I understand Porter’s perspective and I absolutely believe that there are people and celebrities who appropriate queerness without acknowledging the sacrifice of the queer pioneers. On the other hand, no one should have to tell the world their sexual or gender identity before they’re ready, and there’s a generational shift in how people understand queerness and define themselves. Styles has spoken about that in interviews as well, saying: “I’ve been really open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine. The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Vogue.
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- WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – OCTOBER 27: American actor Billy Porter arrives at the City Of Hope’s 2022 Spirit Of Life Gala held at the Pacific Design Center on October 27, 2022 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 733688093, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Billy Porter, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – OCTOBER 27: American actor Billy Porter arrives at the City Of Hope’s 2022 Spirit Of Life Gala held at the Pacific Design Center on October 27, 2022 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 733688131, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Billy Porter, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 31: Billy Porter attends the Los Angeles premiere screening of Paramount Pictures’ “80 for Brady” at Regency Village Theatre on January 31, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 753356708, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Billy Porter, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – MARCH 02: Billy Porter arrives at NBC’s ‘Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love’ Birthday Special held at AVALON Hollywood and Bardot on March 2, 2023 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 759970096, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Billy Porter, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- Grand Marshall Billy Porter rides in the NYC 2023 Pride March on Fifth Avenue in New York, New York, USA on June 25, 2023.,Image: 785326774, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Grand Marshall Billy Porter, Credit line: Robin Platzer / Twin Images / Avalon
Eh… Styles’ comments read very much like queer-baiting. He has dated exclusively women quite openly for the entirety of his career. It’s very easy to play coy and give a wink when you are also very much a heterosexual cis rich white man. And I do think he needs to be called out for that.
You are kind of doubling down on the prejudice that queer people have to check boxes to prove themselves.
I identify as a bisexual person but people would say I’m not just because I’ve formally dated only one gender so far; it’s annoying to have to prove it, detail and explain.
It’s the point HS discussed and the one you missed.
Eh, it seems like a both/and. No one should have to label themselves, but some people don’t get a choice. Harry Styles gets to not label certain aspects of his identity while hugely benefitting from his white maleness and how his gender/sexual identities (appear) to push against those in ways that appeal to audiences and benefit his career (and pockets).
Billy Porter’s expression of his gender/sexual identities are very open, but they are also very much impacted by his experiences navigating the world as a Black person. He doesn’t get to choose whether to hide or express those elements.
And surprise surprise – when Billy has been out here making headlines for gorgeous gender bending award show outfits, the person on the cover of Vogue is the white guy who (conveniently) says he doesn’t want to label himself. So the stuff that benefits him continues to be front and center and what is potentially a career detriment remains safely tucked away.
Ehhh, maybe Harry is pansexual and he is dating the people he’s attracted to. I understand that there’s an entire sub on Reddit devoted to the fantasy that he’s secretly married to Louis Tomlinson and they are absolutely bonkers. In any case, if he doesn’t want to explain his sexuality to people he doesn’t have to , it’s no one’s business but his. I dislike the mindset that everyone has to tell their business to make someone else feel seen or important, some people like privacy, nothing wrong with that.
Vogue is a business. Harry Styles would’ve gotten that cover if he was wearing a potato sack simply because he sells like crazy. Also he doesn’t owe anyone anything about his private life. And btw real people cannot “queerbait”. This kind of thinking just pressures queer people who might feel “obligated” to share parts of their life when they’re not ready (Lauren Jauregui, Kit Connor ring a bell).
As a queer person saying this, of course Harry gets to live however he wants, and keep his sexuality private. However, I understand why Billy may have a chip on his shoulder when he’s had so much less privilege and so much more to overcome, and here’s Harry wildly profiting. If it were me, I wouldn’t assume or talk about anyone else’s sexuality in an interview. The queerbaiting thing is a real conversation. Harry’s got privilege of passing and whiteness that Billy never had.
Real people can’t queerbait.
Secondly, Harry has only been linked to women in the tabloids and press – he’s been seen and papped with a lot of young men too – it’s just that the tabloids never accuse him of dating men.
Thirdly, he doesn’t label his sexuality and has multiple song’s referencing being with men and women. Check out the lyrics to “Medicine”.
Fourthly, forcing anyone to explain their sexuality is gross.
Finally, while I love Billy, this is fourth or fifth time he’s thrown loud shade about that Vogue cover from going two years ago and after every comment, he circles back a week later to “clarify” and “apologize”. It’s giving clout chasing at this point – we get it.
Bama, can you (or anyone else) tell me about your statement, “Real people can’t queerbait.”? My understanding of queerbaiting is intentionally acting in a way that may introduce the idea that one is queer when one is not?
I totally get what Billy Porter is saying.
I agree with him regarding Harry Styles and Anna Wintour.
I agree that Harry does not need to share his sexuality publicly and we do not know if he is straight or not. But Billy’s point is that there are leaders and voices in this space who live this day in and day out. They’re voices are the ones he thinks should be at the forefront, not those who benefit now from the work done by others who could not (or did not want to) remain silent.
But yeah, Vogue is going to do whatever will make the most money.
Passive-aggressive namechecking in this particular case, goes in detriment of a powerful message. No one is entitled to demand from others a public definition of their sexuality; which is pretty much what closeted gays were heckled at before. I totally understand what Billy has gone through, but is not fair to reduce Harry to ‘white, male & straight’. He’s been working for 15 yrs, he’s found success both solo and as a band member, and he’s undeniable creative and a good show. Billy can’t stop bringing back that Vogue cover, which only shows personal resentment and much less self-esteem than he actually has. Billy is only tangentially dissing Ana, as the main responsible for lack of diversity in American Vogue -he’s actually saying she wants to do better- and unfairly utilizing Harry’s name for clout. His sentiment is just, but a different execution would have been of a much better effect, message & image-wise. Something that reeks ‘I’m too cool for American Vogue’. Come to think about it, Porter enjoys his own privilege as a wealthy man to be ‘fabulously queer’. He gets to wear couture, MUA, stylists, beauty treatments and enhancing procedures. He’s playing the ‘cute’ game as well; which is far from what most queer Black men can afford to do, both on money and social terms.
I’m super sensitive about bi-erasure, the exclusion of nonbinary people, etc — but I do really appreciate what Billy Porter is saying here about appropriating the lexicon of queerness in a self-aggrandizing way, while shouldering very little of the burden. I also appreciate that Billy Porter has since shifted the focus of his social critique away from Styles; the fault is with those who glorify/elevate/reward Styles’s brand of queerness, which is fun and quirky and palatable, while really going out of their way to punish others, like Sam Smith.
Harry Styles got featured in Vogue because he’s Harry Styles. It’s not like the magazine was planning to feature a gender fluid model on the cover and chose him to fill that role. He didn’t take anyone’s “spot.” He was going to be the model no matter what, and this is how he decided he wanted to represent himself. Arguably he’s normalizing ambiguous gender expression precisely BECAUSE he’s (at least publicly) considered a straight cis white dude.
Ameerah M., you said it. Harry’s coy games benefit nobody but himself.