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Halsey accuses Demi Lovato of exploiting bisexuality in her music

the pop star calls out the ‘Cool for the Summer’ singer’s lyrics

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(Screenshot via YouTube.)

Halsey is sick of the way bisexuality is portrayed in pop songs and in the media.

The 22-year-old singer, who identifies as bisexual, spoke with Paper magazine about her thoughts on other pop stars using bisexual lyrics in their songs.

“Itā€™s bisexuality as a taboo,ā€ Halsey says. “‘Donā€™t tell your mom,ā€™ or ā€˜We shouldnā€™t do thisā€™ or ā€˜This feels so wrong but itā€™s so right.'”

“This feels so wrong but it’s so right” appears to be in reference to Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.” “Don’t tell your mom” is a lyric from “Cool for the Summer” by Demi Lovato about a same-sex summer fling.

ā€œThat narrative is so f*uc*ng damaging to bisexuality and its place in society. Thatā€™s something Iā€™ve had to fight my whole life and something I still fight. I still see people on the internet saying, ā€˜Of course Halsey says sheā€™s bisexual. Itā€™ll help her sell albums,'” Halsey continued.

Lovato appeared to be throwing shade at Halsey with a subtweet referencing “Cool for the Summer.”

Halsey also addressed biphobia in both the straight and LGBT community saying that people find it hard to accept bisexuality as legitimate.

“There’s a lack of acceptance. It happens in TV all the time when people write bisexual characters as going through a phase or struggling with something. It’s part of some mental breakdown or rebellion storyline, and that just sucks,” Halsey says. “It’s like, “Oh, I used to be gay and now I’m straight.’ Well, that’s literally not how any of this works, because you can be married to a man and still be a bisexual woman.”

The singer’s single “Strangers” from her latest album is about being in a relationship with another woman. Fellow bisexual artist Lauren Jauregui duets on the track.

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Calendar

Calendar: November 1-7

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, November 1

Go Gay DC will host ā€œFirst Friday LGBTQ+ Community Socialā€ at 7 p.m. at P.F. Changā€™s. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, November 2

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Brunchā€ at 11 a.m. at Freddieā€™s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ+ People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc. Ā 

Sunday, November 3

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Dinnerā€ at 6:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano Freddieā€™s Beach Bar & Restaurant. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy an evening of Italian-style dining and conversation with other LGBTQ folk. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

AfroCode DC will be at 4 p.m. at Decades DC. This event will be an experience of non-stop music, dancing, and good vibes and a crossover of genres and a fusion of cultures. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā 

Monday, November 4

Center Aging: Monday Coffee & Conversation will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of their choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Tuesday, November 5

Pride on the Patio Events will host ā€œLGBTQ Social Mixerā€ at 5:30 p.m. at Showroom. Dress is casual, fancy, or comfortable. Guests are encouraged to bring their most authentic self to chat, laugh, and get a little crazy. Admission is free and more details are on Facebook.

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7:00p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower and create opportunities for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Wednesday, November 6

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking ā€” allowing participants to move away from being merely ā€œapplicantsā€ toward being ā€œcandidates.ā€ For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Virtual Training on LGBTQIA protections in D.C. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Guests will learn about LGBTQIA rights and protections against discrimination and the ability to fail claims with the DC Human Rights Office. For more details, visit the DC Centerā€™s website.Ā 

Thursday, November 7

The DC Centerā€™s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.Ā 

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Communityā€™s website.

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Photos

PHOTOS: High Heel Race

Annual drag event fills 17th Street

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The 2024 High Heel Race was held on Tuesday. (Washington Blade photo by Giuseppe LoPiccolo)

The 37th annualĀ HighĀ HeelĀ RaceĀ was held along Frank Kameny Way on 17th Street, N.W. on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Thousands of spectators gathered to witness the parade of costumed racers pass by. Kenny Monroe of Maryland won theĀ race.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Giuseppe LoPiccolo)

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Books

ā€˜The Loves of My Lifeā€™ is not for prudes

Edmund Whiteā€™s thoughtful read about pursuing pleasure

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(Book cover image courtesy of Bloomsbury)

ā€˜The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoirā€™
By Edmund White
c.2025, Bloomsbury Publishing
$27.99/256 pages

Celebrated author Edmund White is just as prolific with men as he is with books. ā€œThe Loves of My Lifeā€ is a steamy memoir about his decades-long sex life. Now in his 80s, heā€™s had, in his own words, ā€œthousands of sex partnersā€ and this book recounts many of them, including some many amusing, some poignant, stories.

A warning: this book is not for prudish readers. White describes his encounters in lovingly explicit detail, fondly recalling his partnersā€™ equipment and their skills. Some were shockingly creative: one partner belonged to a ā€œfisting colonyā€ where another member once inserted a football into a man, requiring surgery.

White began early, as a teenager sleeping with other boys at his boarding school, neighbors, and the son of his motherā€™s lover. Later, working for his fatherā€™s business, he picked up male hustlers. He would take these predominately ā€œstraightā€ men to cheap hotels for one-sided, quick affairs; many kept their socks on during. Some threatened violence afterwards, demanding more money or that White spend more time with them. 

As an adult, a sex worker he took to a country home to help get clean spent nearly all his time alone in the bedroom, leaving only to pick up meals.

White lingers on his experience with Stan, ā€œmy first husband.ā€ They met in college, at a play Stan starred in. Moving to New York, they lived together off and on as Stan found acting work. He became involved with a group led by a former Marine, who kept the party going with drugs and orgies. Thankfully, he would later leave and get clean.

White had many memorable adventures abroad. Visiting Puerto Rico, he and his partner went home with two men they met on the beach; the natives laughed during, speaking mostly Spanish. In a park in Spain, he encountered a man who robbed him after propositioning him. Because homosexuality was illegal, he couldnā€™t go to the authorities, although they had a quickie afterwards. Years later, he rented a house in Madrid with a younger, Spanish lover, who took him to ā€œgeezerā€ clubs, but who threw tantrums if White spoke to any men there. He felt like a housewife, keeping the home spotless and prepared to satisfy his partner anytime, only once visiting a museum.

The bookā€™s tone is generally humorous, although White recounts how, when he was a young man, many gay men saw themselves. Most only wanted to sleep with straight ā€œtrade,ā€ which carried the threat of violence. Even successful professionals thought they were ā€œsick.ā€ White saw a therapist hoping to become straight. While the communityā€™s self-image has improved considerably, there are still plenty of hang-ups. Whiteā€™s younger friend Rory, for instance, Asian, athletic, and intelligent, only loves white men and feels depressed if one doesnā€™t return his affections.

He surprisingly doesnā€™t talk much about his husband, Michael, apart from him walking in on White with a lover and an airplane encounter. It might be useful to hear how they met, and their arrangements with other partners. Perhaps their relationship was off limits.

Mixing self-deprecating anecdotes with insights into writing and literature, ā€œThe Loves of My Lifeā€ makes for a fun, yet thoughtful read about pursuing pleasure.

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