Though her new album has already leaked online, Britney Spears made no effort to move up her release date, or her planned San Francisco concert for Good Morning America. Apparently y’all are willing to wait till the world ends? But a dust up is nigh! San Francisco gays — CAN YOU BELIEVE — might not be welcoming the princess of pop with open arms. It’s as if Britney is trying to exploit us for her comeback u guyz.
Ever since Spears announced she would promote her new album, “Femme Fatale,” on “Good Morning America” by performing a miniconcert outside the Castro Theatre, the gay community has gone bonkers, arguing about whether she should be granted access to an exclusive non-gay list of gay icons. Although rainy weather has now forced the show indoors to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Spears’ intention was clear: get gay people on board. “There’s a tragedy to Britney Spears. It’s just attractive. There’s history in the falling of a pop star, whether it’s Britney or Judy Garland,” said Juanita More! [pictured], a longtime San Francisco drag queen and club promoter. “But I haven’t exactly heard Britney over the past five years talk about the gay community, not like Lady Gaga has.”
Is Britney really at risk of alienating her gay fans by, uh, performing in the heart of America’s biggest gayborhood? Hardly. But if you are a homosexual person in these United States, or on this earth for that matter, you’ve inevitably heard the debate, or participated in it, about whether Britney is the gay ally that Lady Gaga has made herself out to be. Though perhaps you’re one of those folks who thinks Gaga also latched onto the ‘mosexuals for marketing purposes? Either way, we know where at least one Gaga gay stands.
rusk
She doesn’t have to be an activist for us. Just make good music. She has every right to “exploit” us. As much as Justin Bieber “exploits” preteen girls. A fan base is a fan base.
Brandin
Oh stop it.
This article makes it seem as if Britney is jumping on some gay exploiting bandwagon when, in truth, she’s always supportted the community in her own way: with modesty and class. She doesn’t force feed her way into gay culture, she’s just there. She’s always been there, naturally.
She performed in a gay club in 2003 to promote her album at the time, In the Zone…there were no stories back then about her exploiting gay culture. Nowadays, since Gaga has become a caricature for the gay rights movement, it seems no celebrity can do anything for the community without being accused of exploitation. Unlike Gaga, Britney isn’t as desperate to latch onto on specific demographic…her music transcends sexuality, age, or race. Her music is relatable to everyone, which is why she’s been working for 10+ years successfully.
jason
All of these female music artists have pandered to the gay community for one thing and one thing alone: money. Don’t fall for it.
Britney refuses to put any male-male sensuality in her music videos. Her highly public “lesbian” antics are a disgusting sop to the sleazy straight guy fantasy, and are not designed to help gay people in general. She’s basically appealing to men who hate gay guys.
Bryan
Are u kidding me? Are u talking about Gaga?
badlydrawnbear
Fuck Britney and Fuck Gaga. Gay men and women have spent DECADES fighting for the gains we have seen.
Tens of thousands of gay men and women worked until their dying hours fighting to a future they knew they would never see.
The member of the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis risked jail, forced institutionalization, electro shock therapy, and social death.
Britney, Ms. “I think we should just trust … president (Bush) in every decision that he makes and we should just support that.” should just go back to pretending to be a virgin than some gay icon, it would be more believable.
And Gaga’s attempt to be Madonna are cute but she is missing the what made Madge (and Liz) gay icons. Madonna and Liz stood up and actually risked their careers to save the lives of gay men at the very heights of the AIDS crisis in the 80’s. A time when some were seriously considering interning ‘the infected’ in asylums.
Britney and Gaga risk nothing but take everything.
Spike
Britney who?
She was way more interesting when she was shaving her head, locking herself in the bathroom and hooking up with paparazzi. Now she’s just a over produced bore that lips syncs every so called live performance…
Yawn.
Gregory
This is an abnoxious article.
First of all, why should Britney move up the release date of her album or even more the date of her concert?! WHAT FOR?!
Second of all, she has in no way tried to exploit “the gays.” “The Gays” love her. We support her, and welcome/love that she wanted to come perform for us in the Castro. When she moved her venue to the Bill Graham Civic Theater, it’s not like she was CHARGING us to go see her – it was still free. There was no use/abuse of the gay community.
Furthermore, I don’t see ANY evidence to her “exploiting” (Definition: “to make use of meanly or unfairly for one’s own advantage”), treating us unfairly or meanly in order to get things going her way or for her benefit.
And in terms of Britney “supporting” the gay community – she’s a performer – she doesn’t NEED to come out and “support” us. She’s here to entertain.
This article is ridiculous and without justification.
Red Meat
Britney is crap, please gay people lets stick to people who can actually sing live and write at least some of their music.
bbg372
@Jason In “Breathe On Me,” each partner of a female-female couple, a female-male couple (featuring Britney Spears), and a male-male couple undresses the other and performs a lap dance before kissing. Aside from the kiss orchestrated by Madonna, Britney Spears has not had any “lesbian antics.”
Moreover, Britney Spears has openly discussed her support for marriage equality in interviews and on twitter, and is a part of a national anti-bullying initiative. Just because her support for the GLBT is not as overt as that of Lady GaGa, does not mean that she is not supportive.
mattsy
LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!!!!
Steve
@mattsy: Lol.
But seriously, who cares if she doesn’t shut up about gay people? I think we all know where she stands on the issue. And honestly, I personally appreciate the fact that as a MUSICIAN, she puts her main focus on MUSIC. If she was an activist for a living, then maybe I would feel differently. But just because “I love gay people” doesn’t come out of her mouth 5 seconds, unlike other stars, that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy her music or at the very least respect her. Goddamn people, what’s with this “You’re with us or against us” mentality?
bbg372
@Red Meat Britney Spears sings live with playback, as does Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, and others. She also writes or co-writes some of her songs, most prominently “Every Time” and “Me Agains the Music.” She also plays the piano. Know what you are talking about before trying to detract from her talent.
Olga
Jason, I agree with you.
dave
Unicorns are pretty..
everyone has good and bad traits about them.. lets focus on the good? we dont know anything about britney’s life other than tabloids.. so lets just be happy that something exciting,random and adventurous like this is even happening in san francisco at all… im excited, we should all be as excited, maybe now other artist will want to have impromptu shows at different parks! plus i have a question
lady gaga said god makes no mistakes.. yet transgenders are people who feel they are in the wrong body, yet they were born this way… does that mean he did make a mistake? and should we hold it against him? just throwing it out there….
Soupy
There’s actually a sound clip on the net that an engineer recorded during one of her concerts. It’s what she is singing into her mike with the playback. And it isn’t pretty.
just sayin
Britney has a history of exploiting and then dumping gay men. Just look what she did to K-Fed!
Spike
@Soupy:
Well duh. Go to PINK concert if you want to hear a live voice. It may not be perfect and you might hear her actually breathing, but isn’t that why you go to a concert?
Jase
“Notice I haven’t lip synced this entire concert. I wouldn’t make you pay all that money to watch a blonde bitch lip sync for two hours”
-Lady Gaga, during her Monster Ball tour performance, clearly referring to Britney.
It’s not about gay activism, it’s about talent, of which Britney lacks.
Tia Chaquis
wtf ! leave Britney alone! ,she is not like Gaga always using the gays ,i get bitch im gay im happy dont need to preach that i was born this way,who cares ? Labels had to stop!
Paul
Ugh, no one cares. She’s got enough of her own shit to deal with and has shown great support of the queer community. What’s really exploitative is when bitchy drag queens like this one mock her breakdown and flaws. Shut the hell up.
divkid
first, i’m glad we still matter enough to be “exploited”. it means were still punching — culturally speaking — *way* above our numerical significance.
i like/tolerate britney *because* she is so over produced. the LESS *real* britney there is in a song makes it a better britney song.
she is like pop tofu: flavourless and bland, therefore better able to soak up the flavours of a good producer/svengali.
in the past we’ve nurtured the careers of some real nasty (though talented) twats who’ve rewarded are devotion by attacking us, and when we were at our lowest too — donna summa, gloria gaynor…so give britney a break.
and ga ga, who bores me – but i don’t hate – is generally a positive force, socially; if not artistically.
what really perplexes me is why we don’t we get behind REAL avant-garde artists from whom gaga et-al draw “inspiration” (read steal). these people are the real deal. moreover, many are REAL family.
also, why isn’t someone like BETH DITTO being deified as a gay diva. beth cavorting on stage, fat-folds gloriously a-quiver, fucks with mainstream cultural norms and gender expectations a million times more than gaga ever could. she can sing-extremely well. and has smarts too. and knows her gay culture shit.
team beth ditto.
Eric Vacha
@jason: then you obviously haven’t seen her onyx hotel concert. there where multiple numbers that involved male on male dancing and sensuality.
kickitdean
I am a queer youth organizer in San Francisco who organized the larkin street youth services queer open mic night shown on ABC good morning america on Monday. I can say for a fact that the youth were exploited and were not presented in a manner that showed true sincerity. Ive had the chance to speak with many of the other youth who were involved and I am getting the same reaction.
bbg372
@kickitdean: Why do you think the youth were exploited? What makes you think the you were presented in a matter that is insincere? If that is the case, then since it is the producers of Good Morning America and not Britney Spears who determine what finally airs on Good Morning America, then who do you think is responsible?
TRENT
I think Britney is the perfect gay icon. As she starts out, she was A perfect pop star. Then as she gets about 6 years into her career she starts having her struggles that we all know about. Kind of resembles our coming out process. People we thought loved us turned against us. Just as the public did with her. She lost some fans, just as we lost some friends. But she still had those fans that would stick by her side no matter what. Just like us, with those people who don’t care who we love. they love us for us. Her life story is so inspiring. It comes to show you that you could Have the biggest life changing stuff happen and still come out to A brighter light at the end of the tunnel.