Summer can’t come fast enough, and with it some of the most fabulously inclusive celebrations of the year: Pride Parades.
This year’s Brighton and Hove Pride Festival will have an impressive lineup to say the least, with artists such as Grace Jones and Kylie Minogue to headline the musical portion of the parade. However, some people feel uncomfortable with the decision of the parade to also have British idol, Jessica Ellen Cornish, better known as Jessie J, due to some comments she made back in 2014.
In 2011, the British singer admitted having dated both men and women in her life, and came out as bisexual. In an interview for Glamour Magazine UK in August 2011, Jessie J admitted that her family had known about her bisexuality for a long time and that it was important for her to be open and honest about it. She also admitted to having had her first sexual experience with a girl when she was around the age of seventeen.
However, in 2014, the singer admitted that she no longer dated women, and would exclusively have relationships with/love/date men.
“For me, it was a phase,” she told The Mirror, “But I’m not saying bisexuality is a phase for everybody.”
“I did talk about it, and I was open about it, and I do support being lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender – love who you want. That’s what I’m doing,” she continued. “I don’t regret anything I ever said, but I never knew back then that whatever I said became a fact that I couldn’t change. I’m just so bored of it, and that’s kind of it – I want to stop talking about it completely now and find myself a husband.”
People are commenting on how harmful these words may be for people who’s bisexuality is not a phase and who do not agree with the parade’s choice to have her as one of their main performers.
This brings into question how much do we allow public figures to embrace the fluidity of their sexualities. With phrases such as “we were born this way” and “we always knew we were this way”, how lenient can society be with people who are just exploring their sexuality and identity?
Should we dismiss other people’s experiences just because they don’t fit the narrative we want to tell?
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