Harry Styles defends himself against queerbaiting criticism

The singer has been accused of ‘queerbaiting’ in the past — profiting off perceived queer aesthetics despite not labeling his own sexuality

Harry Styles has defended himself against critics who have accused the singer of queerbaiting.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published on 22 August, Styles admitted that he has never “publicly” dated anyone male or female, despite accusations that he’s profited off of perceived LGBTQ+ aesthetics without identifying his sexuality.

“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone,” he said. “If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”

The 28-year-old singer is known for embracing gender fluidity in his fashion, although he’s said in the past that he doesn’t feel any need to label his sexuality or identify with one sexual orientation.

In December 2019, Styles became Vogue magazine’s first-ever solo male cover star, in which the former One Direction member was photographed wearing a Gucci dress on the cover. The groundbreaking cover received backlash when Pose star Billy Porter claimed that all Styles had to do in order to break barriers was “be white and straight”.

“I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it,” Porter said. “I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but...He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life.”

“I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars,” he added. “All [Styles] has to do is be white and straight.”

Porter later reflected on his criticism of the Vogue cover during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and apologised to the singer for his comments. “Harry Styles, I apologise to you for having your name in my mouth,” he said. “It’s not about you. The conversation is not about you.”

Harry Styles currently stars in the forthcoming romance film My Policeman, in which he plays a 1950s British policeman who begins a same-sex love affair with a museum curator (David Dawson). While speaking to Rolling Stone, Styles discussed how his portrayal of a closeted gay man has impacted his own journey with his sexuality.

“I think everyone, including myself, has [their] own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘This is a gay story about these guys being gay.’ It’s about love and about wasted time to me.”