Betty Who Apologizes To Fans After Being Accused Of Making “Lesbophobic” Comments
Who’s apology came after podcast remarks about queerness and dating sparked controversy on social media.
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Betty Who has issued an apology after sparking backlash for comments she made on a podcast appearance that many listeners called “lesbophobic.”
The Australian pop star, who identifies as bisexual, sat down with the Made It Out podcast last month to talk about her sexuality, gender expression, and career. During the conversation, she touched on the discourse surrounding JoJo Siwa and Fletcher, both of whom have recently started relationships with men.
Reflecting on how queer identity can shift over time, Who commented, “It’s funny that Reneé Rapp is like, ‘You’ll never catch me dating a man.’ It’s like, ‘Go off, queen. I love that for you.’ But I also hold space for her in like 10 years if she goes, ‘Oops, I met the love of my life, and it’s a man. I didn’t mean to.’ Like that’s okay. It shouldn’t be illegal for you to fall in love.”
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The comments sparked criticism online. One person on X wrote, “Love Betty, but saying that lesbianism can be fluid is a crazy take and so invalidating because lesbians don’t like men. Saying that maybe you just haven’t found the right man yet is INSANE.” Another user added, “Kinda sad that Betty Who sang on Troye’s song HEAVEN that’s about accepting being gay and then almost 10 years later she’s saying some stupid shit about ‘holding space’ for if a lesbian ‘finds a man.’”
Fellow queer pop singer King Princess also weighed in with a TikTok response. “Date a man, it’s not a big deal. But why are you on a podcast talking about it? It’s not an interesting narrative,” she said. “We live in a country where our rights are being stripped from us every day, and you think it’s important to get on a podcast and talk about how hard it is to be in a heteronormative relationship? Diva!”
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Who followed up with a statement on Instagram Stories apologizing for her remarks. “I recognise that the language I used poorly articulated my experience and unintentionally reinforced ideas that were harmful or dismissive, particularly toward the lesbian community. That was never my intention, and I’m truly sorry,” she wrote.
She went on to clarify that she had hoped to share her own journey of navigating bisexuality and gender identity, not to generalize about anyone else’s experience. “Everyone’s journey is deeply personal, and I shouldn’t have spoken in ways that generalised or spoke for others,” she said. “I understand there is so much nuance in this conversation, and in other people’s lived experiences, that my comments did not reflect. I also recognise that I’m coming from a place of privilege, and I never meant to contribute to prejudice against the community.”
Closing her statement, Who called the LGBTQ+ community her “home” and promised to do better.
