Betty Who recently came under fire for comments that she made on a podcast that were deemed "lesbophobic," and on Wednesday, the Australian singer issued an apology. The 33-year-old pop star, who identifies as "queer bisexual," found herself in the middle of controversy after discussing the sexuality of JoJo Siwa and Fletcherātwo queer artists who came out as lesbians and then revealed they were dating men ā and ReneĆ© Rapp, who said she would never date a man, but Who said she "held space" for Rapp if she ended up with a man 10 years down the line.
Betty Who wrote a statement apologizing for her remarks and shared it via Instagram Story:
"In recent days, l've taken time to sit with the conversation around my gender and sexuality. I recognize 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.
Everyone's journey is deeply personal, and I shouldn't have spoken in ways that generalized or spoke for others.
I went into the interview to discuss my own journey - specifically, how I figured out how to identify myself and how I ultimately landed on non-binary and bisexual, both assignments that live somewhere in-between. 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 recognize that I'm coming from a place of privilege, and I never meant to contribute to prejudice against the community.
The LGBTQ+ community is my home; it's where I came alive, found my people, and learned more about love, acceptance, and tolerance on a deeper human level. I will do better."
You can see Who's Instagram Story below.
Betty Who via Instagram Story.Instagram (@bettywho)
