#and it's something I definitelyd isagree with

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Hi! So I just want to ask for your thoughts on Harry's ambiguous image. He very publicly expresses his sexuality, so much that he is accused of queerbaiting. He presents as a gay man. Some things stood out to me last year. His really camp Coachella performance. BHG interview mentioning that his friends know how he identifies. His HH moodboard had some really camp pics which still haven't been released yet. Howard Stern asking about closeting in the industry but it was cut from youtube uploaded clips. Him kissing Nick at Venice. Olivia making comments about the lgbtq+ community and wearing pride stuff to his shows. The LNT vid being about public image vs private. His personal trainer being a Xander 2.0 (with encouragement from HSHQ). Him being really camp on his Europe tour. MP. Lots of things that went unnoticed but the fact he chose to do them interests me. He did reign it in after the RS backlash but then this year he kissed Lewis at The Brits and there were several vids of him flirting with different men. Looking at the whole picture it feels like a lot of progress. Harry's sexuality is now a hot topic and yes there are many who still automatically view him as straight but there is more speculation than before and it feels intentional, that he wanted this. He wouldn't have done MP otherwise. Having said all that, his womanizer image is still prevalent in the media and that is what people pay attention to because it's always there. Every few days there are articles about him dating a new woman. So I'm wondering what your thoughts are. Why did he choose this ambiguous image rather than hiding his sexuality? Is it because he had plans to CO but changed his mind and just stuck with the ambiguity for marketing purposes? Is it laying the groundwork for a CO in the future? Or does he have no intention in CO and is just a gay man living his life while in the closet? Is this image sustainable for him if he doesn't plan on CO anytime soon? A lot of the queerbaiting discourse is being pushed by the media so will he have to face this every time he gets a new beard? He's not going to be able to play another gay role again in a movie, the backlash was bad enough the first time. Will the backlash push him deeper into the closet, does he even care? By adding to a huge list of beards, will it make it harder to CO in the future?

So I have to start with saying I strongly disagree with your starting point. I think 'progress' is a really insidious way of understanding what's going on. Progress suggests a desired end goal and evaluates everything towards it. I don't think it's a good way of talking about someone who is closeted.

As well as that principled disagreement - I also disagree on points of fact. I don't think that what has been happening for Harry has been steps towards being out or being more queer in his performance. I definitely don't agree that the things you list are him presenting himself as a gay man.

First off I don't think a lot of these are about presenting himself as a gay man. So for example kissing men who are understood as being straight is not presenting himself as a gay man. I disagree with your interpretation of Late Night Talking. I have no time for the idea that the fan reaction to either Xander or Brad was something planned for by Harry's team, rather than just fans doing their thing.

Secondly, being out is not the only way of engagin with queer culture. By being a very camp, closeted performer, Harry is part of a long tradition - it's not evidence of some path to being out.

Finally, I think seeing what Harry said when interviewed by Better Home and Gardens as in any way steps towards coming out - completely misunderstands the dynamic. The whole point is that he's stonewalling and trying to avoid talking about things he doesn't want to talk about. The fact that people are pushing and asking him more and more and he's fending that off - isn't a sign of the direction he's stepping in, but a sign of how he's defending himself from taking steps he doesn't want to take.

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To answer your question - I think Harry wants to play stadiums and also engage in queer culture in his performances. I think he knows the contradictions in doing this - and there are reason that the character of Tom resonated with him.

We can't know the future. We can't know what he plans for the future now. And we can't know what will get in the way of that. All we can know is what's happening now. And right now Harry is playing stadiums and engaging with queer culture in his performances.