#harry’s sexuality

[twopoppies]

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/harry-styles-is-a-gay-icon-queerbaiting-b1136121.html

Hi Gina, Have you seen this article?

No. But thank you. I really love what the author had to say! Usually I highlight a few key comments, but I found myself highlighting almost the entire article.

[…]

And that is all well and good, however there does come a time Harry Styles deserves some respect. We know he wasn’t the first man to ever wear a dress. Still, his appearance on the cover of American Vogue in December 2020 felt like a moment. Yes ok, he has pinched a few styling tips and lyrical flourishes from the great male frontmen of our times (David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, George Michael, et al). But like Bowie caused a scandal by wearing a Mr Fish dress on his album cover in 1971, Styles does too every time he flaunts another disco coloured, nipple-grazing jumpsuit. At least someone is still trying to push the boundaries.

More than that, though, Styles’ persistent drip feeding of all things “flamboyant” — on the fashion front, credit must go to his longtime stylist Harry Lambert — is exactly the antidote a world in a toxic masculinity choke-hold needs. His own range of unisex nail varnishes? Great. Pictures of him stomping about in little heeled booties and a pearl necklace? It really is delightful to see.

His relationships with queer creatives are a convincing testament to him as a person, too. He launched gender fluid designer Harris Reed’s career when he wore a selection of his blouses on tour in 2018. He did too for S.S.Daley, another queer-centric label, which the singer gave a leg-up to stardom by spotlighting it in his 2020 Golden music video. Taking his support a step further, this month it was announced Styles bought a minority share in the brand.

And on set, the stories that come back are similar. Pat Boguslawski, the movement director best known for his current role at Martin Margiela under John Galliano, worked with Styles on his viral 2020 Beauty Papers cover shoot. Yes, the one where he is naked save for fishnets and loafers.

“He was just incredible,” Boguslawski told me in a recent interview. “It was fascinating to work with someone who is a male but at the same time so open minded and willing to do anything.” First hand testimonies are a good place to start when it comes to reading mega-stars who have their image so tightly controlled (often it’s near impossible to get any sense of true character).

While Styles has not spelled out his queerness in black and white, every plumed, pink ostrich feather coat he normalises makes it a little bit easier for those wanting to express themselves in peace and safety.

It shouldn’t be like that. In fact, it’s sickening. But that’s not Styles’ fault — and by putting it to the forefront of pop culture, he is doing the LGBTQ+ community a solid. To my mind, that is something worth applauding, not tearing down.

Full article here

[tobethemselves]

People are commenting on how Harry’s whole persona and style feel extremely performative. Since his vogue cover he has not worn a dress either, so it seems very much like an act he put on to make more money, while never actually being interested in fashion like that. Also he’s never actually served any looks or dated a man so that could also be why ppl think he’s straight lol.

So I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt anon because english is not my first language but for me it sounds like you’re one of those people you’re talking about… Anyhow

Yes I saw the accusations about him queerbaiting. And to be honest with you I really really hate it. Not only because of Harry but also because of the massage that sends to all those baby queers who now think they have to act, dress or look a certain way to call themselves queer. Again:

The word queerbaiting came from fictional characters who often were invented from straight people who used to tease the queerness of said character as a marketing strategy to attract a wider audience for their show or movie even though in the end nothing queer ever happened to not make the homophobic part of the audience mad.

I don’t know how often it has to be said until it reaches every single brain out there but here we go again

A real person can’t queerbait.

Clothes don’t have a gender and don’t have a sexuality, there is no right way to look queer or straight. And there is no right or wrong way to dress queer.

Apart from that it’s totally normal to dress differently while being on stage then when you’re travelling/ at home/ in your comfort clothes. That fact has nothing to do with Harry’s interests in fashion. For real do you expect him to go on a train ride in one of his stage outfits? Not very comfy and not really clever if he doesn’t want to attract a bunch of fans.

Also, how do you know he never wore a dress since?

Everyone is so fast to judge as soon as it’s a celebrity often forgetting that they are humans too just like me and you. And humans have layers. Thousands of them. There is no way to know someone’s sexuality based on a different hairstyle and a few pictures.

And about your last point. Well you wrote an anonymous massage to a larry blog. So I think my opinion about if he ever dated men or not is pretty clear.

[awesomefringey]

Do you have a tag with proofs Harry’s gay? I know alot of people have a ‘hes gay Petra’ tag

Hi nonnie, I wasn’t very thorough about it to be honest. Maybe try these: he’s gay petra harry is a mermaid queer coding closeting

Other bloggers have tagged it so much better than I, find links below by:

@skepticalarrie here

@daisiesonafield-blog here

@twopoppies here

@bulletprooflarry here

@tellmethisisnotlove now @tellmethisisnottumblisnextfuckup here

On top, @freddiesmyqueen did this interesting post about Louis’ and Harry’s sexuality back in 2014.

I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for. 🩵

[kiwikiwiandkiwi]

[mazhazalotofthoughts]

Harry Styles, Queerbaitor or Queer Icon? (Mock Article)

Maz Love, The Larry Times

Harry Styles, where do I even begin. When I was assigned this topic I didn’t realize how opinionated and outwardly spoken his fans, and the general public are on his every move. It seems everyone and their grandmother has an opinion on him. After scouring both sides of a very polarized fan base and general public, I have come to the conclusion that all these extreme views are rooted in homophobia, transphobia and an overall lack of understanding of the queer experience.

When Styles was cast as Tom Burgess- a closeted gay police man in Bethan Roberts screen adaptation of her book My Policeman, there was one term I kept seeing repeatedly- Queerbaiter. Many were outraged that Styles, a seemingly heterosexual man was cast as a queer character, thus taking away a big opportunity from an actual queer person. It’s been a long standing debate within Hollywood on whether it’s okay to cast straight actors in queer roles. Many would argue that it’s not. There are of queer actors who deserve the recognition and more importantly, it acknowledges that being queer isn’t something you can try on and off like a shirt. With Styles playing Tom and his history of co-opting important parts of queer culture, many are quick to call out the singer as a queerbaiter. Saying he is someone who uses the queer aesthetic to increase profits and cultural relevance. These claims are not unfounded. Styles has been an open advocate for love in all forms, routinely runs around with pride flags at his concerts, helps fans come out and actively breaks gender norms. These should be great things right? But Styles has refused to comment on his sexuality, has only dated women in the public eye, and when asked about using the queer aesthetic for profits his response was a throwaway, claiming he just likes what he likes. Many queer people are upset that this high profile man has been able to avoid labeling his sexuality even as he continues to take gay roles and use the queer aesthetic like it’s not something people aren’t killed, abused and beaten for on a daily basis all while dating a woman.

I can understand where these folks are coming from. Their rage isn’t unfounded or misplaced. Styles, for all intents and purposes is heterosexual to the general public and by taking on the the role of Tom Burgess and waving around pride flags like they are anything more than fabric to him, must be disheartening.

However, I will ask, does anyone, regardless of their public stature, owe us an explanation on their gender or sexuality? Are queer celebrities required to sit down and record a twenty minute video describing when they first knew they weren’t straight? Or a tweet officially declaring themselves a member of the alphabet mafia? No. They don’t. Styles is not the exception.

After seeing the commentary on Styles sexuality the one thing that kept coming up for me was what they were basing their assumptions on. He wore a dress on vogue, no straight man would do that, he must be gay. He paints his nails and wears designer clothes, no straight man cares that much about their appearance to dress up each day. All these little comments are really just reflections on the harmful stereotypes queer men face. It sets a standard for what queer looks like. It makes it hard for more masculine men to be taken seriously when they come out, it immediately places more feminine men into a box that they may or may not fit into. And more importantly, it’s assuming someone’s sexuality based on their clothes and expression.

Harry Styles wearing a dress or painting his nails is not an indicator of his sexuality. Nor is it an open invitation to discuss it. Now, Styles has been dropping what many in the community refer to as ‘queer codes’ since the early days of one direction. And while the general public may not know the words to a rarely played unreleased song, his fans do. In his song Medicine which Styles started playing on his first world tour, the lyric “I mess around with him, and I’m okay with it” can be heard, oftentimes with a smirk, coming out of Harry’s mouth. He released “Lights up,” a song which has been deemed a bisexual anthem by fans on national coming out day. Styles is very careful to use gender neutral pronouns when talking about love interests and many of his songs (She, Fine Line, As it Was, and the music video for Treat People With Kindness) deeply explore the themes of gender and the gender binary. Now, these things are often overlooked by the general public but I find it important to note that Styles has been insinuating his ties to the queer community for years and that his unwillingness to give the public a definitive label is not from a place of malice or deceit, but for the simple reason that he does not owe anyone his label. That label is his, and it’s his choice on whether he wants to share that label with the world. And if not, that should not give his fans the wherewithal to call him a queerbaiter and say he’s pretending to be gay for money. It reinforces the narrative that queer people have to come out in order to be seen a queer. They don’t. Queer people will be queer whether they tweet about it or never tell a soul.

This applies to Styles and every other celebrity out there. He has made his concerts a safe space for everyone, his rainbow flag waving is the highlight of his shows for many, and he will make a wonderful Tom Burgess that will be cherished for years to come.

So let’s leave the homophobic stereotypes and standards in the past and let people, not matter how famous do what they want without knowing down their doors for explanations

[alwaysxlarrie]

Since you Laur decided that Harry is gay without ever speaking to Harry about his sexuality, all because you get wet thinking H & L are fucking and thus you are entitled to decide Harry's sexuality because of your fantasy right? I mean you personally can't handle the fact of Harry fucking women, your world would end if Harry was bi or queer that included fucking women right? Of course people outside your cult would never understand why your world would end over Harry fucking women.

good morning! kinda weird that you’re making bold claims about me and how i feel when you’ve never spoken to me about any of it while you’re telling me i’m in a cult for doing so to harry, but that’s okay. wouldn’t expect anything less from an anti! over here, i don’t define harry’s sexuality, as he hasn’t defined his sexuality to the general public. like harry’s said here, there’s no need to put people in boxes or give them labels. in fact, i think it’s pretty weird to do so. people are more than their sexuality, who they’re fucking & who they’re not fucking. both harry and louis can hypothetically fuck whoever they want; it’s none of my business. i’m just at an age where i know better than to believe the smoke & mirrors of hollywood & PR. it probably helps to some extent that i know people who work in PR in the music industry. i hope that one day that you can learn not to care about how people label themselves & being able to confirm who people are fucking/not fucking. you’ll never be happy when that’s something you obsess over. also, i’d recommend unpacking why you seem to believe that harry couldn’t possibly be with both men and women & that people can only believe that he’s with a man bc it gets them “wet”. it’s pride month - don’t bring your homophobia onto my blog. i mean, don’t ever bring it to my blog, but especially during pride month. thanks! i hope that you have the day that you deserve ☺️

[larryslaurels]

So that all of you can stop yelling at me in my inbox:

I don’t think Harry is generally attracted to women or fucks women. I think is he VERY Queer.

I think Louis is gay.

I believe sexuality, attraction, gender etc. are more fluid and nuanced than the world wants to admit.

I’m a lesbian. I think both Louis and Harry are fucking hot. Does that make me less of a lesbian? The way some of you think, I guess so. 😂

[naawlarry]

A very interesting video about what queer baiting is, if real people can do it and why it might be better to start asking different questions. Have a look!

[twopoppies]

x

[…] We’ve read so much about it, heard so much about it, yet somehow people like Billy Porter pop out of the woodwork every 6 months to accuse Harry Styles of exploiting queer people. Aside from being so utterly boring, these bad faith criticisms have lately taken on a malicious edge.

[…] Clearly, attempting to fit his sexuality into a precise box and be defined by it did not serve Bowie well. He later called his coming out “the biggest mistake I ever made” and that by being reduced to his sexuality, “it stood in the way of so much I wanted to do.” To me, it’s clear that Harry Styles, who is often discussed in the same breath as Bowie, is simply treading more carefully. He says he doesn’t label himself, he loves who he loves at his own discretion, and his fashion is extraneous to this. For some people Styles’ firm refuting of labels isn’t enough, which takes this discourse onto the slipperiest of slopes.

Putting pressure on a celebrity to address their sexuality in terms more suited to their fan base and the industry is depressingly familiar. Kit Connor of Heartstopper fame came out last Halloween, tweeting, “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. bye.” It was a full-throated indictment of the toxic side of the Heartstopper fandom, who interpreted the show’s warm message of inclusivity as the green light to go on a merry witch hunt for any potentially straight cast members. The entire affair hurt Connor, as would any induced coming out, and it’s an example of what happens when the Internet insists upon knowing who’s shagging who.

Porter’s recent comments are not the first time he’s criticised Styles and they espouse exclusivity in the name of inclusivity. He refers to Styles “using my community”, as if queerness or gender nonconformity is a members’ club Styles is gatecrashing. His point about Styles’ whiteness and beauty playing a prime part in his position as the first man to cover American Vogue is obviously correct, but it is not for Porter to proclaim who is in the ‘community’. There is no hierarchy within queerness or gender nonconformity and Porter is wrong to claim there are “leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement” because the de-gendering of fashion is something that has existed since fashion began. It has no leaders because it’s literally just clothes.

This article is about far more than just Billy Porter (as the video above addresses very well). But this part stood out to me and I thought was worth highlighting.

Full article here

[disco-dancing-in-the-desert]

[awesomefringey]

The Public Obsession With Defining Harry Styles Sexuality Needs To Stop

Can Olivia Wilde read this article too please? Thank you!

[kiwikiwiandkiwi]

I have a doubt/ I'm confused, he said he is open with friends and its his personal experience. So he just indirectly said he is not straight. But as he did not say anything specifically those who want him to be syraight will keep thinking he is straight. Because I saw the homophobia, a content creator on insta opening supported lgbt and the comments were embarrassing saying the unfollow him and didn't expect you would be gay.... so this is harry saying he does not want to be out publically because he is open in private? Is it closet if he doesn't want to come out to people doesn't feel its neccessery? I mean it is some sort of closet because he is selling to straights and homophobes but I am confused about this

Harry is closeted, that's what you have to understand. Maybe it's a choice to not be open about his sexuality? Maybe. But I highly doubt that, because his actions show me otherwise. He is constantly signaling and communicating through his music, through his references and influences, through his clothes and many other ways that he is queer. So no, I don't think he is choosing not to give us an actual answer about his sexuality because he wants to be private, it's because he can't.

He is being accused of queer baiting for a while now, and with My Policeman coming out, people are gonna want more and more answers about his sexuality, especially because he has been sold as a straight man, but if only things were as black and white as people want it to be right? Let’s not forget how his image was built through the years, what his publicity and image history is - marketed as a womanizer and a heterosexual fantasy since he was 16, and why? Because he works in a very homophobic and hostile industry.

It’s not his fans that are demanding answers from him, a lot of us already understand his situation and others are content in believing he is straight. So why should Harry give an answer to people who do not care about him? What these people need to do is stop thinking that being straight is the norm, just because you never said anything it automatically means you are straight?? Do you see how fucked up it all is? You don’t see straight (and out lol) people being questioned about their sexuality so why can’t queer people be treated the same way?

[iirradiance]

YOU - "There's something so *different* about him that I just can't put my finger on..." 

[kingchad]

nobody asked but this is my official descendants sexuality chart. i will not accept criticism on this.

[larryslaurels]

I find it funny that so many people think real alive humans can “queerbait” in the first place. Like wtf. That term is for entertainment not people.

Exactly.

Does TV/FILM/media queer bait for profit? Absolutely. Disney fills its shops with rainbows every June and then turns around and uses its profits to give money to politicians that will help them benefit them financially as a major corporation. Film and tv LOVE using femme women in scenes—giving just enough sexiness and raciness that both men and women will enjoy it, but not actually hire queer actors or properly do justice by writing real queer plot lines.

Harry is not queer baiting. Unless you’ve been someone who has experienced then sit down and shut up. Closeting is never the fault of the closeted person. Rinse and repeat baby.

[concord-and-cliches]

(roleswap) i think kim should forget straight people exist

[id in alt and below the cut, sketches also under the cut!]

[ID: Disco Elysium fanart featuring a "Role Swap AU" between Kim Kitsuragi and Harry Du Bois. Kim is wearing a black "Speed Freaks FM" t-shirt, and his orange jacket is tied around his waist. There are golden necklaces around his neck--one is adorned with a lung charm. He isn't wearing glasses, but there are orange sunglasses pushed up onto the top of his head. His hair is long enough to be tied back into a short ponytail with an orange hairtie. His gloves are fingerless, and he is holding a cigarette. He has a focused expression. Behind him, there is a dark brown rectangle with a white circle behind him, reminiscent of a halo. The white circle has numerous cracks in it. Harry is wearing a green suit and green dress pants. He is smiling and winking, and holding his ledger. His tie is yellow and his shoes are a dark brown. He is clean-shaven and generally well put-together. Behind him, there is a rectangle with yellow and blue, similar to his profile image in the game. Unlike the game, the yellow and blue are stacked neatly on top of one another instead of being diagonal. His other arm is behind his back.

A Disco Elysium fancomic featuring the "Role Swap AU" versions of Kim Kitsuragi and Harry Du Bois. Kim is either holding a cigarette or keeping one in his mouth in each panel he's present in. Panel One: Harry and Kim are talking to Titus Hardie, while Elizabeth Beaufort stands outside the room with a focused expression. Titus says: "We partied. She's been here for a few months." Panel Two: A close-up of Hardie, arms crossed and smirking, saying: "Some tits you just have to see to believe." Panel Three: Kim watches Harry and Titus end their exchange with a confused expression and a "…?" Harry says: "Thanks for the chat, we'll be back later." Titus replies: "Whatever, coppers." Panel Four: Walking away from the Hardie Boys, Kim says: "Hey," which prompts Harry to pay attention to Kim. Kim continues: "The Hardie Boys. Why were they talking about women like that?" Panel Five: Harry, with a somewhat confused expression, asks: "…D'you mean in a feminism sense?" Panel Six: Kim has a halo behind his head with Physique-coloured (red) cracks coming out from it. He says: "No, like. Y'know." He cups his hand as if holding a breast to emphasize his point. Panel Seven: Harry looks at Kim with a thoughtful expression. Panel Eight: Harry says: "Are…" Panel Nine: From off-panel, Harry continues: "Are you talking about sexuality?" Panel Ten: Kim looks blankly at Harry. Panel Eleven: Kim has a frazzled expression as he looks off to the side. Harry, drawn extremely simplistically, looks on at Kim's crisis. Text in the panel reads: "Thought Gained: The Hetero-Sexual Aboveground". The accompanying symbol is orange, and features a pilot's headset.

Various drawings of "Role Swap AU" Harry and Kim. One drawing is of Harry holding his ledger, alongside text that reads: "SO normal about his ledger <3" One drawing is of Kim with a cracked halo behind him. The cracks are yellow. This is accompanied by text that reads: "Perception - You can't see shit." and "skills/thoughts represented through cracks in halo" One drawing is of Kim looking thoughtful, saying: "How did you get so nice, Harry?" One drawing is of Harry holding up a speed bottle with a thumbs up and a smile, accompanied by text that reads: "limits himself to one speed bottle a day (JOKE) (or is it)" One drawing is of Harry looking thoughtful as he holds his ledger. Text reads: "Logic - There is something so wrong with the lieutenant. Electrochemistry - It's kinda hot." One drawing is of Kim with text that reads: "'how do you do, fellow kids' energy" and "still has trauma-and-stressor but doesn't remember anything about it and talks to 'delinquents' more freely as a result". One drawing is of Kim looking at his gloves with shock as they say: "C'mon gege, let's fuck shit up!" A halo behind him has purple cracks. One drawing is of Harry smiling and giving a thumbs up, saying: "Good job, lieutenant!" /end ID]