lgbtqia+

Zaya Wade Says She’s A “Microphone” For Trans Youth

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The last few years have been a whirlwind for Zaya Wade, and she’s only 15 years old. The teen is the daughter and stepdaughter of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, respectively, and she’s grown up in the spotlight—albeit not everyone has been supportive. The Wades shared that Zaya was transitioning when she was just 12, and it didn’t take long for critics to jump in. Zaya received a warm welcome from her LGBTQIA peers, especially those within the transgender community, and her family has been firmly standing by her side.

As Zaya gets older, she recognizes the significant impact of her visibility. “It means to me that I’m a microphone,” she told Dazed during an interview for her cover feature. “I am my own person and I have my own experiences, but for me, as a role model, I try to use my personal experience to broadcast the positives and also the negatives in life, because a lot of LGBTQ+ youth go unrecognized in every way. I think I am here to share those experiences: to voice them, but also to enhance them. So the world can know, ‘We are here, we are queer, we are here to stay, and we aren’t going anywhere.’”

Zaya Wade Speaks On Strong Support System

At every turn, Dwyane and Gabrielle have vocalized their avid support of their daughter. The world can be a cruel place, and the Wades have experienced that firsthand. People have written think-pieces about the teen and have called her vicious names because of her transition. The negativity has only strengthened Zaya’s resolve, but it has caused her to remain cautious. She told Dazed she has to filter her social media to keep her mental health intact.

“There are some highs and some lows,” said the model and activist. “I mean, a lot of attention equals a lot more hate, a lot of transphobia, and [there is] a lot of pressure on me, but I’m also able to reach more people. The positives of having such an inclusive platform completely outweigh all of the negativity online, which my support system has enabled me to filter out. It has allowed me to let in the positivity and distribute it to all of the trans people in the world who need a voice and give them a platform to get inspired to live with themselves without being afraid.”

Answering Questions From Young Fans

During her interview, Zaya also answered a few questions written by admirers. One person wanted to know what advice she had for other trans kids. “You’re not alone! There are so many people out there. I wish I knew that as a kid because I felt so isolated, thinking there was no one else like me,” she said. “And the percentage of trans adults versus trans children is such a wide difference. [When you’re] a child at school you’re like, ‘I’m trans, and I don’t see many trans people, so I feel isolated, I feel different from anyone.’”

“But that is not the only community,” Zaya further stated. “There are thousands of communities waiting [for you], and the trans community is forever growing. Even if you can’t have direct contact with them, just seeing their experience is so accessible because of social media. Other people can inspire you.” Check out more from Zaya Wade’s photoshoot with Dazed magazine above.

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Diplo Admits To Receiving Oral Sex From A Man: “I’m Not Not Gay”

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A celebrity’s sexual orientation interests their fans, and Diplo’s podcast reveal has pop culture talking. The famed producer and DJ’s relationship exploits have been at the center of gossip throughout his lengthy career. Yet, his recent admission has sparked conversations. Diplo hasn’t explicitly spoken about his sexual orientation, but on Emily Ratajkowski’s High Low podcast, the pair jumped into the topic.

Ratajkowski and Diplo directed the conversation to the producer’s preferences. He stated he wasn’t “aroused by men that much,” which piqued the podcast host’s interest. As any interviewer would do, she pressed him a bit, hoping he would expound on his comments. He quickly added, “I’m sure I’ve gotten a blowjob from a guy before.” Ratajkowski questioned if he was sure about that on speculating. It seemed as if Diplo couldn’t actually confirm the encounter.

Diplo Explains His Sexuality

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Diplo (R) attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

There seem to be more than enough men at Diplo’s disposal, especially “sexy” ones that are easily found on his social media. Although he admits they’re “hot guys,” he added, “I don’t know if that’s gonna be the thing that’s gonna send me over to the gay side totally.” Expectedly, Ratajkowski wanted Diplo to explain further, particularly how he personally identifies himself, if he has any title, at all.

He said his attractions are more about “vibe” than “gender,” which doesn’t come as a surprise considering his past. “I think the best answer I have is I’m not not gay,” he answered. “There are a couple guys,” he then added, “I could date, life partner-wise.”

Everyone’s A “Lil Gay”

Meanwhile, Ratajkowski shared in her November 2022 Harper’s Bazaar feature that she’s bisexual. “I think sexuality is on a sliding scale,” she told the publication. “I don’t really believe in straight people.” A similar sentiment was shared by Diplo almost 10 years ago on Reddit. The musician said he believed everyone’s a “lil gay,” but wouldn’t go as far as labeling himself or his sexuality. It looks as if he carries similar sentiments to this day. Check out the clip of Diplo and Emily Ratajkowski’s conversation above, as well as the full episode of her podcast.

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Toosii Defends The LGBTQIA+ Community In New IG Story

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Raleigh-bred artist Toosii has had enough of the insults when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community. The rapper, who’s amassed over 500 million views across his YouTube channel, took to Instagram to defend his stance recently. While it’s not known what sparked the outburst, the Syracuse native mentioned attacks on us all in one late-night post. “I get on the internet everyday and see us attacking us. S**t getting overrated [one-hundred emoji],” Toosii tweeted yesterday evening.

At the beginning of the now-viral clip, the man behind “Magic Potion” warns viewers he’s unbothered by their commentary. “It is what it is at the end of the day,” Toosii continues. He then begins to deliver a speech about those who call others gay as a form of insult. “If being straight [is] not an insult, why is being gay an insult?,” the 23-year-old challenges. “You’re trying to use calling a person gay as an insult. Them is the motherf***ers that really need to be attacked, feel me?”

Toosii Takes Up For Those Called Gay As An Insult

As responses rolled in from both sides of the debate, Toosii retweeted @SaycheeseDGTL’s repost with a few more words of his own. Commenters under their tweet were noticeably negative, with a majority of them proving his point. One tweeter tells him to shut his “pandering a** up. You sound suspect as hell!” In response to this, a Toosii supporter says the user should seek therapy as their “sexuality must be EXTREMELY fragile!” Another commentator mentions “The replies speak volumes” as others continue to hurl homosexual allegations toward the star. “[Thumbs down emoji] [The] comment section lame…,” Toosii began before confirming his own sexuality. “Shout out to the LGBTQ community be ya self! And this coming from a STRAIGHT MAN. I send my love to everybody I don’t got a hating bone in my body!”

Toosii then went on to celebrate his first Billboard entry for “Favorite Song,” which sits at No. 51 on the Hot 100 Chart. According to the site, the track has garnered over 9.7 million streams since its release. TikTokers have used the sped-up adaptation over 300,000 times thus far. “Favorite Song” follows Toosii’s 2022 deluxe EP, Boys Don’t Cry: Men Do.

Boosie Badazz Loves Daughter, But Admits Family Won’t Accept Her Being Gay

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His comments regarding the LGBTQIA+ community often divide, and now, Boosie Badazz is being questioned about his daughter’s sexuality. Boosie’s rapping eldest goes by Poison Ivi, and she seemingly had a coming out of sorts after sharing a photo with her girlfriend. The rapper made a regular stop at VladTV and was questioned about whether or not he knew about Ivi’s sexuality before the big reveal.

“I didn’t. Like, she used to be with a boy I thought she was dating. He used to come to the house,” said Boosie. “But I don’t think that was her boyfriend, now. You know, I think that was just like, a friend or something. But Ivi got a—our family is real Southern Baptist family. So, Ivi gotta respect for her family and everything for what she does. You know, so her coming out at this age, that’s the time when you supposed to know what you want.”

Boosie Accepts His Daughter, Regardless

“Even though it’s not—it won’t be accepted as far as—’cause I don’t want to think anyone in my family to think it’s okay. But what she does, we’re not gonna—we’re gon’ love her to death. We gon’ love her to death, but at the same time, our family, it’s never been that way. It’s never been accepted, our preacher, grandfather, grandmother preacher.”

“But, at the same time, she grown,” Boosie continued. “She can do what the hell she want, she old enough to know what she want. And that’s her. She’s doing a great job, she’s making her own money, that’s her own talent. I’ve never wrote not one line for her. The girls can go.” Boosie added that he didn’t find out about Ivi’s preferences with everyone else, but he admitted, “I was suspicious.” However, he immediately doubled back and said social media confirmed it for him.

Boosie Speculates About Why His Daughter Didn’t Come To Him First

Vlad wanted to know if Boosie was disappointed that Ivi didn’t speak with him before turning to Instagram. The rapper said she’s never done it in the past, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary. “She never came to me to talk about relationships,” said Boosie. “She’s more of a to-herself person.” He also stated he believed Ivi didn’t go to him about her personal life because of his opinions about the LGBTQIA+ community. “I’m respected in my family,” he added. “What I say goes, and what I say matters.” Check it out above.

Melii Denies Shading Beyoncé With LGBTQIA+ Tweet

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The Grammys are still a focus due to Beyoncé’s historic moment, but Melii is facing off with the BeyHive. Last night, Beyoncé became the most-awarded artist in Grammy history. Although Renaissance missed out on Album of the Year—Harry Styles took the title—the project still earned the singer several accolades. On Twitter, Melii fired off a tweet many attributed to the megastar. She didn’t name names, but people believed she was shading Bey.

Renaissance was an ode to queer artists who pioneered Electronic, House, and Dance music. Many of the songs sampled those icons, and it was hailed as an ode to the LGBTQIA+ community. “A lot of ppl careers were dead and they later used the lgbtq community to revive it and y’all ate that up,” Melii tweeted.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 5: Beyonce accepts the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album award for Renaissance onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Read More: 2023 Grammy Awards: Kendrick Lamar Wins Best Rap Album, Full List Of Winners Inside

The backlash was swift, as people accused Melii of shading the singer for producing an album highlighting the marginalized community. The Neighborhood Talk shared Melii’s tweet, and their comment section lit up, causing her to step in to react. “Nah … ok boom ya don’t gotta like me but never will I ever disrespect THE QUEEN,” Melii explained. Beyoncé supported my ‘ non existent career ‘ like ya sayin in the comments along with riri, lil Wayne n bunch of greats.”

“Any way back to this since I’m so trash n a nobody,” she continued. “I WILL NEVER DISRESPECT BEYONCÉ SHE IS SOMEONE I LOOK UP TO N I WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL THAT SHE USED MY SONG FOR BRAND . Ya don’t need to like me … CUZ I UNDERSTAND I SAY ALOT OF SH*T OTHERS WONT BUT PLEASE HOLD BACK ON THE FALSE NARRATIVE.”

Read More: LL Cool J Hosts Star-Studded Hip-Hop Tribute At Grammys

Beyoncé took home her 32nd Grammy win last night and delivered a touching acceptance speech. “I want to thank god for protecting me,” she said. “Thank you, god. I’d like to thank my uncle Johnny, who’s not here, but he’s here in spirit. I’d like to thank my parents—my father, my mother—for loving me and pushing me.”

“I’d like to thank my beautiful husband, my beautiful three children, who are at home watching,” she added. “I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing the genre. God bless you. Thank you so much to the Grammys.” Her wins last night include Best R&B song for “Cuff It,” Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Break My Soul,” and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa.”

Watch Beyoncé’s speech below and read more from Melii.

Ts Madison Defends Beyoncé’s Dubai Performance Amid Criticism From LGBTQIA+ Community

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After Beyoncé’s recent show in Dubai, Ts Madison just defended her after the LGBTQIA+ community criticized her choice to perform. Moreover, the activist spoke to TMZ as a member of that group herself to talk about the controversy. Furthermore, Madison said that Bey loves all her fans, despite performing in a country (United Arab Emirates) with horrible anti-LGBTQIA+ laws.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 20: Ts Madison attends Universal Pictures’s “Bros” New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on September 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/WireImage)

“Who mad at Beyoncé? Who?” Madison jokingly asked the TMZ crew.

“Listen, we were talking about it this morning in our other meeting,” they told Madison. “There are a lot of fans who just feel like she- the word that was used was that ‘she sold out.’ That’s the phrase people are using. What is your take on this, and the LGBTQ community, do they have a right to be upset with her?”

“Beyoncé is a superstar,” the activist and media personality began. Moreover, she said that Beyoncé cashes checks and performs all over the world. “People go to Dubai for many different reasons, and a lot of LGBTQIA people go to Dubai for a lot of those reasons,” she said with air quotes. “You know, Beyoncé went there for some of those same reasons. She went there to make her money.”

Furthermore, she stated that “everybody that loves Beyoncé and everybody that knows Beyoncé knows that Beyoncé loves the community. And not just loves the community. She dedicated an entire album which is, like, the album of the year to her fans, to the people that she loved. So, I personally saw it as: she went and got her bag.”

“You’re right,” the TMZ crew retorted, “but that does sound like it’s kind of the definition of selling out.”

“I wouldn’t say she sold out because she loves her fans,” she responded. “But tell me, I wanna ask any one of those folks over there if there were given $24 million- I heard it was $35 million. That’s what I heard.”

Moreover, the interviewers added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was that.”

“Any one of those girls would put on their wig, hair, makeup, lashes,” Madison said. “And run right over there to the Atlantis Hotel and gather their 35 million dollars and come right on back home. It’s still the same love for her fans. I’m not mad at her getting her money. She didn’t wave anti-LGBTQ flags, you know? She put on a concert, she got her money, and these were her fans.”

Still, what do you think of Ts Madison’s defense of Beyoncé’s Dubai show amid backlash from the LGBTQIA+ community? However you may feel, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, come back to HNHH for more stories on grandiose moments in music performance.

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“Stranger Things” Star Noah Schnapp Comes Out As Gay

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Another celebrity’s sexuality has become the talk of Hollywood now that Noah Schnapp has made a revelation. The Stranger Things star has been under a microscope as he amassed child fame thanks to the Netflix series. As Hollywood often does, there were talks that Schnapp may have had a teen crush on his co-star Millie Bobby Brown. According to Schnapp, he’s gay.

The 18-year-old actor uploaded a playful TikTok where he shared the news with the world.

@noahschnapp

I guess I’m more similar to will than I thought

♬ original sound – princessazula0

Read More: Noah Schnapp Tells TikTok He Apologized To Doja Cat While Listening To Her Music

Schnapp participated in a social media trend where people spoke about huge life events that ended up not being as big of a deal to their loved ones.

“When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years,” he wrote in his video. “And all they said was ‘we know.’”

For some, this doesn’t come as a surprise. There were rumors that Schnapp’s Stranger Things character, Will Byers, was gay and in love with his friend, Mike Wheeler. Although this was initially introduced as a fan theory, Schnapp confirmed that was the case.

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 06: Noah Schnapp attends the 2022 People’s Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on December 06, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images )
Read More: “Stranger Things’” Noah Schnapp Talks How To “Interpret” Will’s Sexuality

“Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay, and he does love Mike,” he previously said about his character.

“But before, it was a slow arc. I think it is done so beautifully, because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay.”

Check out Noah Schnapp’s TikTok above.

Joe Budden Denies Being Bisexual Or Gay Following Fizz Remarks

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Comments made on The Joe Budden Podcast thrust the podcaster into a viral moment. For years, there have been rumors that Joe Budden was bisexual, and with each allegation, he trolls the masses. The former rapper is happily in love with his girlfriend, yet still, his sexuality is regularly called into question. This was recently reignited after Budden spoke about Lil Fizz’s controversy over an alleged nude leak.

“Aye, Lil Fizz, you’re lucky I ain’t see this news sooner,” he said on his podcast. “I would have started with this one, buddy. But this why I’ma fight y’all, ’cause y’all have eyes and know some of this is funny. If this n*gga got his ass tooted up in the air on OnlyFans, somebody need to know about that.”

Read More: Joe Budden On Lil Fizz’s Alleged OnlyFans: “I’d Break That Boy”

Additionally, he added, “Do I like skinny people? Lil Fizz too small for me. I’d break that lil’ boy. I’d have fizz coming out of Fizz, man. Get this n*gga outta here.”

It was all delivered with a roar of laughter, but the internet quickly shared the clip. Soon, Budden found himself a trending topic, and he returned to make a few things clear.

“I am not gay or bisexual,” he further stated. “I want to apologize—I’m flattered!… Y’all think y’all was flirting with me. I took it as disrespect.” Budden then relived a few conversations he’s had since making his statements on Fizz.

Read More: Joe Budden Issues Apology To Megan Thee Stallion Amid Tory Lanez Trial

“I’m not playin’ with you. Y’all n*ggas is aggressive. Y’all tall. It’s over now, yo, it’s over. Enough! No more jokey-jokes. Big ass gay dudes. Big as hell in my DMs.”

As he’s been fighting off people sliding in his DMs, Budden has also gone to verbal war with Vivica Fox and Claudia Jordan. After saying he doesn’t like Megan Thee Stallion, Fox and Jordan called him out. He returned the favor and didn’t hold back.

However, he also apologized to Megan for joking about her mental health.