Gay rapper Mykki Blanco has been gaining widespread appeal across the globe with his buzz worthy albums. But while touring in Portugal this week, the rapper was shown anything but praise and love when he was arrested at the Lisbon airport.
Blanco shared the news with the world via his Facebook page writing “I’m being arrested in Portugal for being gay.”
Blanco later sent a statement to Noisey, explaining that the arrest occurred after he got into an argument with a taxi stand employee, who he claims was treating him unfairly. When he went to a police officer for help, the police officer allegedly called him a homophobic slur. Mykki told the officer to “go f— himself” and was promptly arrested afterwards.
“The altercation escalated because I waited in a long line outside the airport for a taxi and when I was told I could not use my credit card but only cash (which also is not true I later found), the taxi attendant and cop refused to help in any way. They were impatient and short with me all the while eagerly helping white tourists. A Portuguese woman in line with me even leaned over and whispered, ‘I don’t know why they are being so strange with you, there is a place inside to buy taxi vouchers you don’t need cash.’ I should have listened to the woman and went inside to find the voucher office but there is a part of my personality that really wants to see if people WILL actually be prejudiced, to see if maybe my PC West coast optimism about the world is being challenged by blatant discrimination and I was right. I asked the police officer where the voucher office was, and I was told to ‘go away’ like I was a nuisance and when I asked why he could not help but the other white tourists [were] I was yelled at and told to ‘go away bicha’ which is a gay slur [according to Urban Dictionary: it is an offensive slur meant to challenge a man on his sexuality] even though I had waited in the same line as everyone else,’ Blanco said.
“More than racism or even homophobia (which was also a factor) I realized that class matters and that an upwardly mobile black man isn’t something people always want to see,” Blanco added on his Facebook page.
According to The Advocate, Mykki was officially arrested for insulting a police officer and ordered to pay a fine of 600 euros.
Well, we’re glad that Mykki is free. However, it’s sad and unfortunate that he had to endure such treatment. – nicholas robinson
