For months, LGBT rights has been one of the nation’s front topics causing stars of all sexualities and creeds to stand for or against laws that would equal the playing field for the LGBT community. Much to the surprise of, well, everyone, rapper-turned-singer T-Pain has become a vocal opponent against homophobia. In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, he explains why he’s become such a public LGBT ally.
T-Pain explains that he decided to take a stand against homophobia after witnessing the discrimination that his gay assistant, E.J., receives on a daily basis in the entertainment industry.
“While at an Akon party, for some reason everybody was trying to stay away from me because of my assistant,” said T-Pain, who witnessed a shift in the dynamic of the whole party. “I was sitting next to him and it seemed like no one wanted to even come around us.”
T-Pain then went on to further criticize the hip-hop community, saying that although not everyone is homophobic, too many industry people are ashamed to publicly say that they’re okay with homosexuality.
“It’s not the hip or cool thing to do to be OK with it; you’re not allowed to say it, he said. “Everybody was working with Frank Ocean before he came out. Now you have people like, ‘No Frank Ocean features!’ When he came out, it was like, ‘Oh, that’s not cool. People gonna think I’m gay if I put him on a song with me.’ No, they’re going to think you got a song with Frank Ocean. That’s all.”
T-Pain took the example to a more personal level and said that he’s even lost clients because of their homophobia and discomfort with his assistant. “You know, I’ve had people not want to work with me because I have a gay assistant. These people don’t want to be in the studio if I have [E.J.] with me,” he explains.
T-Pain also touched upon Jason Collins and gave his take on what it would be like for Collins or any other out gay male when it comes to the atmosphere between them and their straight teammates in the locker room.
We couldn’t have said it any better. Thankfully, T-Pain’s not the only unlikely ally to come out in recent times. Check out some other allies below. – nicholas robinson
