Arts & Entertainment
After apology, Azealia Banks doubles down on homophobia
In what might be described as a social media whirlwind over the last few days, controversial rapper Azealia Banks has apologized for one homophobic rant, before sending out a new one in a post that teased her retirement from music altogether.
It all started in October, when the 28-year-old Banks posted a video on Instagram in which she called out queer singer Frank Ocean a ādumbass n****ā for launching a club event called āPrEP+ā and implied that gay men use the drug as an excuse for promiscuous behavior.
In an expletive-laced rant, she said, āClearly I have a lot of gay male friends. Do not take that PrEP shit, okay? Thereās no reason for you to need to have a fucking pill so you can just fuck whoever you want to fuck and just be all fucking nasty out there on the streets acting a fucking fool.ā
After suggesting that Ocean was āgetting paid by some white gay corporation to do this shit,ā she went on too add, āāYāall stay off that fucking PrEP. You donāt need to have everybody running up in your fucking asshole all day. If you got a sex addiction like that, that you need a fucking pill so you can go fuck and suck and do all that, then you need to go see a fucking psychiatrist.ā
At the time, Banks was heavily criticized for the video by LGBTQ and straight social media commenters alike. Then last week, just before Thanksgiving, the rapper made another Instagram post saying she was sorry for her previous outburst.
āHey guys, Soā¦. a few weeks ago I went on a rant about Pre-exposure prophylaxis meds and I am just doubling back to sayā¦ā¦ Iām sorry,ā she posted. āItās not my place. It was extremely insensitive. Who cares if I meant well, that wasnāt the way. Iām really really sorry.ā
Her change of heart was short-lived, however. Over the weekend, Banks doubled down on her homophobia in another Instagram story in which she also made a dig at fellow rapper Iggy Azalea ā with whom she has a long-standing feud ā and seemed to be announcing her departure from music altogether.
The post read:
āLol, I love the gays and love how much yāall love me but I really have to eject. I think you guys are into a lot of shit/people I just donāt find value in. I find myself acknowledging/looking at shit Iām leagues above and it really is such a set back lolā¦ I really, truly, honestly could not give a fuck about any of the people yāall suggest for me to collab with/acknowledge and I only do in efforts to humor yāall.
āWhen so many of you are on here begging me to collab and acknowledge random people/artists itās too distracting and I cannot keep going thru my art/journey with yāall in my face 24/7ā¦
āI really canāt allow yāall to keep throwing me in the bucket with Iggys/Tinashes/random drag queens just because Iām female and you guys play Barbie dream house with the names and create this culture of shared data.
āAnd itās trueā¦ even though Iām DEFINITELY better than all these little trash bitches yāall stans try to collaging in with meā¦paying attention to any of it even for a second, is another second spent away from what I NEED TO BE DOING.
āSo gaysā¦ā¦ I bid you adieuā¦. These last 8 years were funā¦. But I have to pull a Shia LaBeouf and delete this thing. Itās clear that so many of these girls feed off my art, But when Iām doubling back to snatch crumbs out their mouths it stops my journey forward.
āIām like a giant baking pies and eating cakes trying to fault mice for collecting crumbs. Gotta leave the crumbs on the floor and let the eco-system do what it does. Azealia Banks is leaving the forest so you tree ass bitches can fall in silence.
āHappy Holidays and Happy New Year. Itās been real.ā
Though she has previously identified as bisexual, Banks has a long history of homophobic comments. A Google search for āAzealia Banks + homophobiaā yields a list of incidents dating back several years.
She has also announced her retirement before. In June, she claimed to be stepping away from music in a post that said, ā[I]T DOESNT MATTER HOW GOOD MY MUSIC IS I KNOW YOU GUYS DONT DESERVE IT. YOU WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER BODY OF AZEALIA BANKS WORK AGAIN. HEAR ME!?!,ā two months before releasing a new project titled āYUNG RAPUNXEL PT II.ā
In a similar display of consistency, the rapper posted yet another Instagram story on December 2, this time saying, āNow Iām going back to LA to finish some music and just finish some videos. Prepare you bitches for another year of not being able to take Azealia Banks.ā
The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, SMYAL and Rainbow Families sponsored Gay Day at the Zoo on Sunday at the Smithsonian National Zoo. The Smithsonian marked International Family Equality Day with special exhibits and an event space.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering Gay Day at the Zoo for @WashBlade . Here at @NationalZooDC pic.twitter.com/LqgGNOOAiM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) May 5, 2024
Photos
PHOTOS: Taste of Point
Annual fundraiser held for LGBTQ youth scholarship, mentorship organization
The Point Foundation held its annual Taste of Point fundraiser at Room & Board on May 2.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Theater
Miss Kitty tackles classical mythology in āMetamorphosesā
Folger production seen through the lens of the African diaspora
āMetamorphosesā
May 7-June 16
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Miss Kittyās words are thoughtful and measured, occasionally punctuated by flamboyant flourishes and uplifting proclamations. Her tried and tested tagline is ālive in fierce not fear.āĀ
She describes herself as āAMAB (assigned male at birth), nonbinary, genderqueer, transfemmeā as well as āchanteuse, noble blacktress, and dancer.ā
Currently, Miss Kitty is testing her talents in Mary Zimmermanās āMetamorphosesā at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill.
At 90 minutes, āMetamorphoses,ā is made up of interwoven vignettes from classical mythology including the tales of Midas and his daughter, Alcyone and Ceyx, and Eros and Psyche.
āItās all stories that relate to the human condition: the follies, the happiness, the love, the loss,ā Miss Kitty explains. āAnd a thorough knowledge of mythology isnāt a requirement for enjoyment.ā
The language is contemporary and with its 11-person ensemble cast ā comprised exclusively of Black or indigenous people of color ā theyāre adding their own spin to its present-day feel, she adds.
In Zimmermanās famously staged premiere production, the actors performed in and around a pool of water. At Folger, director Psalmayene 24 has ditched actual aquatics; instead, he suggests the element by introducing Water Nymph, a new character constructed around Miss Kitty.
Water Nymph doesnāt speak, but sheās very visible from the opening number and throughout the play on stage and popping up in unexpected places around the venue.
āItās a lot of dancing; I havenāt danced the way Tony Thomas is choreographing me in a very long time. At 40, can she still make theater with just my body as her instrument?
The name āMiss Kittyā was born over a decade ago.
Miss Kitty recalls, āShe was still presenting as male and going by her dead name. Someone commented that with the wig she was wearing for a part, she looked like Eartha Kitt whom she deeply admires.ā
Her penchant for illeism (referring to oneself in third person) isnāt without good reason. She explains, āItās to reiterate that however she might look, sheās always there; and if you misgender, she will let you know.ā
Initially, the moniker was a drag persona at Capital Pride or the occasional fabulous cabaret performance at a nightclub.
But as time passed, she realized that Miss Kitty was something she couldnāt take off. She had always been a part of her.
āSheās helped me to grow and flourish; sheās given me the strength that I never would have had before. Iām so proud of myself for realizing that before it was too late.ā
Bringing Miss Kitty into her theatrical career presented some concerns. Would theater folks be open to the new her, especially those sheād worked with before?
Not always, but sheās found new companies whoāve welcomed Miss Kitty with open arms including Avant Bard, Spooky Action Theater, and now Folger.
Last fall, Miss Kitty appeared in Spooky Actionās Agreste (Drylands), a stunning queer story penned by gay Brazilian playwright Newton Moreno.
After being invited to audition and reading the script, Miss Kitty was determined to be a part of the production.
A work dealing with love and being trans, and transphobia, and how people can turn on a dime once they learn the truth about someone, resonated deeply with the actor.
āThe play speaks to the idea that if people just let people be who they are and love who they want to love weād all be a lot happier,ā she says.
For her sublime efforts, Miss Kitty nabbed a Helen Hayes Award nomination in the Outstanding Lead Performer category (winner to be determined on Monday, May 20 during a ceremony at The Anthem).
Itās her first time nominated and first time attending. Sheās thrilled.
Miss Kitty grew up in Oxen Hill, Md., and now lives near Washington Harbor. Her entry into performance was through music followed by high school plays. She graduated from Catholic University with a degree in music/concentration in musical theater, and from there dove directly into showbiz.
Looking back, Miss Kitty says, ābeing a person of color AND queer can be a double whammy of difficulty. You have to live in light and do the things youāre afraid to do. Thatās the game changer.ā
Presenting āMetamorphosesā through the lens of the African diaspora (the cast also includes Jon Hudson Odom and Billie Krishawn, among others) helps us to realize that every story can be universal, especially for marginalized people ā South Asian, Native American, or fully queer perspectives, she says.
āHaving an all-Black ensemble opens all new worlds for everyone.ā