Homophobia is having a great week!
In addition to DaBaby seeing festival cancellations in the wake of his unhinged comments (none of his gay fans have AIDs because they’re too smart for that!), Matt Damon shared, out of nowhere, that he was saying faggot on a regular basis until he did so in front of his daughters. One of them quite rightly told him it’s a slur, and then, because he’s a middle-aged white man, had to write out a treatise on why the word shouldn’t be used. Only then, when he couldn’t hear the sentiment expressed in Lady Voice, was the Oscar winner able to understand that it’s not a joke word.
In both instances, arrogance is at the forefront. DaBaby thought he was too popular to suffer punishment (and to be fair, the Dua Lipa single on which he guests is still No. 1) and Damon thought that because he’s Hollywood’s little brother cum fun uncle, his ignorance would come across as charming.
It did not, and social media was brutal.
In 2021, the man who works closely with Gus Van Sant should be aware that saying faggot in a jocular context is showing your ass in public. And that he outed himself makes it all the more egregious. He’s not someone to be up in arms about; Damon is an idiot whose entire post-Bourne career has been a slow leaking of the light.
DaBaby is far more problematic but even more so are the institutions in place to protect him regardless. After Lollapolooza and NYC’s Governors Ball uninvited him, he’s still on the bill for Hot 97 Summer Jam 2021 at MetLife Stadium, as of August 1.
We all know that homophobia is a part of being gay, unfortunately. But when these kinds of remarks are made, it proves two things: We do not what our supposed allies are saying in the privacy of their own homes and there will always be people who shrug it off. That’s the state of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, even in 2021, and we can’t lose sight of it.
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