The MUCH blog is now shut down, but you can see an archived screenshot on a left and read my piece of the article on the right.
Dear Miley, I Want To Be Gay
“You don’t have to be gay,” Miley Cyrus declared. “You just gotta find a dick who’s not a dick, you know what I mean?” Not really, Miley. In the Instagram Live heard round the world, Cyrus put her foot in her mouth with comments that are problematic on at least three levels. First, Cyrus made it sound as if queerness was a choice that could be changed by the “right” kind of dick; this is an incredibly harmful cultural myth that is the basis for things like conversion therapy and “corrective” assault of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially queer women. Second, she also falsely equated “dicks” to “men,” aka equated sex to gender. This idea is so passé and transphobic and jarring to hear from the mouth of someone who identifies as genderfluid. The most insulting part, however, is the insinuation that Cyrus dreaded being gay. She talks as if the right man has saved her from a terrible fate, as if not being with that man would have been doomed her to some kind of lesser existence. As if no one would choose to be gay if they didn’t have to be. As if the entire notion of LGBTQ+ pride isn’t centred on destroying exactly this kind of internalized homophobia. Cyrus’ lacklustre apology stated, “It has always been my priority to protect the LGBTQ community I am a part of.” Let’s be clear: re-identifying yourself as a part of a marginalized community is not an apology. You can’t play the gay card when it’s the gays who are mad at you. Like the Ellen-DeGeneres-George Bush debacle, the takeaway is this: white, cis, affluent celebrities are steeped in so many layers of privilege; they often remain ignorant when speaking on behalf of the marginalized communities they are a part of. If Cyrus wants to position herself as a public figure of the LGBTQ+ community, she needs to consider the power her words wield and do better. —Rachel