By Kala Fogg

Homophobia is an issue most people in America (including myself) may have thought to be on its way to becoming a thing of the past. Although we as a nation are now aware that Ellen, a homosexual woman, can have a very successful talk show, a black man can run the United States of America, and an African American woman is capable of choosing the love of her life as the Bachelorette; you’d think people would be a little more accepting of those in the LGBTQ community, right?

Following the release of the Katy Perry’s new single, Bon Appetit featuring the popular rap group Migos, a pot of controversy has been stirred in regards to homophobia in the rap community. Although the track and eye-opening music video causes speculation on its own, it’s Migos receiving the backlash after they “reportedly” refused to perform with Perry on Saturday Night Live, because they did not want to share the stage with drag queens (associated with gay culture). The company responsible for commissioning the drag queens to perform during the sets, World of Wonder stated on their website that the drag queens were asked to leave because Migos were too uncomfortable. This “news” has made headlines and has already circulated numerous sites on the web, some of those sites included Paper Magazine and Vibe. For those who keep up with the popular rap group, this may not come as a shock, given that they have already shared their comments on the rap artist iLoveMakonnen’s sexuality, and their experience working with Frank Ocean. I guess they can wear Versace and not support it. Don’t think too hard, Gianni Versace was a homosexual man, and they have a song called Versa... forget it.

Rappers in the hip-hop community are always receiving a ton of backlash after they appear to dress slightly androgynous or have these traits mimicked in their behavior. Rappers Young Thug and Lil Uzi Vert have been made into memes, jokes, and ridiculed for their decisions to carry a pocketbook (that’s another name for a purse, millennials). We’ve seen this issue surface countless times in the rap and hip-hop community; we’ve even listened to Kanye express how he was conditioned into being homophobic by the hip-hop community back in 2005, while on MTV News with Sway. Masculinity is emphasized through rap lyrics, and according to Kanye in 2005, the opposite of hip-hop is “gay”, a derogatory term affecting countless male figures in the community. But after countless songs and albums aimed at emphasizing Black Lives Matter and the need to fight for equality, those represented in this music are still having a hard time accepting unique styles not necessarily aimed at praising masculinity.

What will it take in order for people to realize, that in order for us to receive justice systematically for colored skin, we must realize that those in the LGBTQ community face some of the same adversities we do when it comes to acceptance? Will majority of the Hip-Hop community ever realize that being fearful of homosexuality only makes them look insecure and unsure of their sexual preference?