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Steve Grand Wants Everyone To Stop Posting His “Half Naked” Pics, Accuses Queerty Of “Slut Shaming”

Steve Grand And Hilton Kick Off Northalsted Market Days With Special Event In Chicago

Country musician Steve Grand wrote the following letter  to Queerty via Twitter in response to the debate over his “tiny speedo” pic and our posting of some of his shirtless pics. Grand then reposted the letter in the Queerty “Comments” section of an admittedly “fawning” story we published today. See our response to Grand at the end of his letter to Queerty.

Queerty,

No I want YOU to stop ONLY posting the handful of half naked pictures of me taken over the last 6 years to get your page clicks. I’ve taken thousands of photos fully clothed over the last years. only 1% of my posts (on Instagram) show my bare chest. There’s a time a place for that.. but EVERY time?

Related: Steve Grand’s Parents Learned He Was Gay By Reading An AOL Chat

It is sites like YOURS that create the impression that I am always shoving sex in people’s faces. When, in fact, it’s a small fraction of the time. I have enough to work against. It sucks that gay media makes it all the more difficult.

And even now you’re doing the same thing in this post. To make me look like a hypocrite.

Shame on you for creating senseless division within this community that already faces enough from the outside world. You would tank a struggling artist’s career if it would get u a couple page clicks. Utterly shameful.

Related: Steve Grand Says It’s Time For Trans People To Stop Taking The Backseat

stevegrand1You have been trying to sink me since before I even started to climb. I’ve been silent 4 2 years of this & I’ve had it. Shame on u.

You are as trashy as the worse tabloids but u are even WORSE than them because you go after people without power or money (myself)

I should be able to post a shirtless pic here and there (1% of my Instagram) without it being the ONLY way you represent me.

All publicity is NOT good publicity.

Related: Steve Grand Tells GMA He Went Through Gay Conversion Therapy

If you can’t post about me in a way that even comes close to resenting me on the whole then I’d rather you not bother at all. Nick Jonas and Zac Efron flaunt their bodies WAY more than I do and are not treated this way.

There is nothing wrong with the pictures of me that are out there. I am not ashamed. I am a young man and SOMETIMES like to show my body like most all of us young men do. But you create this weird dynamic where you slut-shame as you simultaneously fawn over a young man. It is very bizarre and worse, it sends a toxic message to young people still coming to terms with their sexuality. Haven’t gay men been taught to feel enough shame about their sexuality?
#getyourshittogether #stopdividingus

I know I’ll get accused of whining and being a hypocrite. And I know I’m suppose to shut up and never stick up for myself. And I know I “brought in on myself” and I should have just known when I was a 19 year old student putting myself through college that I shouldn’t have posed in those kinds of photos (because none of you have ever made questionable choices when you were 19, right?) But I’m just a guy as flawed as all the rest of you. I’m not rich and famous. I just want to make music, play it for my fans, and yeah, sometimes have fun on a boat in a Speedo and share some of those moments with my fans who have been so supportive.

Okay, Internet. Do what you do to people who dare to speak up for themselves. Fire away.

–Steve Grand

Queerty responds: Okay, Steve, we hear you loud and clear. We are huge fans, and Queerty readers love you. We dig your half naked pics, but you look (and sound) pretty great in clothing too.

Here are just a few of our faves:

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Check out Steve’s new album

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