Celebrities and Their Stances on LGBTQ+ Issues: From Advocacy to Backlash

A look at how various celebrities, from advocating for LGBTQ+ rights to facing backlash for derogatory comments, impact public discourse on LGBTQ+ issues.

During New York’s Governors Ball music festival on June 8, singer Sabrina Carpenter delivered a performance featuring a custom outro to her song “Nonsense,” where she vocalized her disdain for anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments amid Pride Month. This has become a signature element of her performances, where she cleverly incorporates shout-outs tailored for different locations or makes cheeky references.

Contrastingly, other celebrities have faced backlash for making derogatory remarks about the LGBTQ+ community. In 2012, Paris Hilton was recorded making homophobic comments about gay men, suggesting they probably have AIDS. She later apologized, explaining her concern was about unprotected sex.

In July 2021, during Rolling Loud Miami, rapper DaBaby made offensive comments about gay men and people with HIV/AIDS. Celebrities like Dua Lipa criticized him, and companies like BoohooMan ended collaborations with him. DaBaby apologized for his comments on social media.

As president, Donald Trump implemented policies restricting transgender rights, including banning transgender individuals from military service. In a video posted last year, he vowed to penalize doctors providing gender-affirming care to minors if re-elected and pushed for federal legislation recognizing only two genders.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has repeatedly come under fire for her transphobic remarks. In 2018, she liked a tweet calling trans women “men in dresses” and later criticized the phrase “people who menstruate” for allegedly erasing the word “women.” In May 2024, she referred to a trans female football manager derogatorily on social media.

Comedian Dave Chappelle has also faced criticism for his transphobic comments, particularly in his Netflix special “The Closer” in 2021, where he mocked the LGBTQ+ community and criticized people who had “canceled” J.K. Rowling. He also made a controversial comment about DaBaby’s incident and compared societal reactions to violence versus offensive speech towards the LGBTQ+ community.