The Manchester Pride festival got a big publicity boost earlier this week when it was confirmed that Ariana Grande will be headlining the event.
But as the internet is wont to do these days, the announcement didn’t go down well with everyone. Some questioned whether Ariana, a straight artist, was the best choice to headline the annual LGBTQI festival, while others pointed out how ticket prices jumped dramatically after her headline slot was confirmed.
I’m no mind reader but this is perhaps not quite the response Ariana expected the week after she won the Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist.
When a fan commented on Twitter about the whole controversy and how the whole thing “smells of exploitation of the LGBT community”, Ariana unexpectedly responded with a message that’s both respectful and a perfect explanation as to why she is in fact the ideal main act for this year’s Manchester Pride.
Getting some business stuff out of the way first, the singer explained that the ticket prices are beyond her control and were set at the discretion of the organisers behind Manchester Pride so that’s totally not on her.
As for the backlash about the “exploitation of the LGBT community”, Ariana passionately explained that she has nothing but love for the LGBTQI community and all her LGBTQI fans. Not only did she want to celebrate and support the community “regardless of [her] identity”, she also wanted to visit Manchester again, a city that she’s had a well-documented history with.
Without calling the kettle black, Ariana expressed how proud she is to share the stage with LGBTQI artists before pointing out how other pride events have been headlined by “artists of all sexual orientations and genders” such as notable “straight allies” like Cher and Kylie Minogue.
Perhaps the biggest point of Ariana’s message is her view that it is possible to talk about important issues “without equating a performance *for* an LGBTQ audience with exploitation of the LGBTQ community”.
She then ends her message on a sincere note by saying that all she wants to do is put on a show that makes her LGBTQI fans “feel special and celebrated and supported”.
And that’s how you respond to backlash, folks. Ariana was not obliged to respond – hell she shouldn’t even have to explain why she’s headlining Manchester Pride in the first place – but she did it anyway and it was simply perfect.
Anyway that’s enough from me, check out Ariana’s message right here:
i saw many people discussing this so i wanted to chime in…. hope that’s okay ?? pic.twitter.com/7joiZwI1QS
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 27, 2019