too late to say sorry

Justin Bieber’s dad’s homophobic Pride Month message is garbage—and his “apologies” aren’t any better

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Part of the beauty of Pride Month is that there are so many ways to celebrate. Whether you partake in a parade or a rally, a sweaty dance party or a quiet night at home watch some classic queer cinema, your options for commemorating LGBTQ+ history are as varied and multi-faceted as the community itself.

But if you’re looking for suggestions on how to have the loudest and proudest June, one thing we recommend you don’t do? Ask Jeremy Bieber for advice.

Now, why would anyone ever ask that man for advice? And who the heck is Jeremy Bieber anyway? Both valid questions!

His sole claim to fame is that he has an über-succesful pop star for a son, Justin Bieber. Over years of controversies, bad decisions, and ill-advised social media posts about Justin’s nudes, Daddy Bieber has somehow forced his way into “public figure” status and, bafflingly, amassed millions of followers on Twitter.

Which bring us to earlier this week when the 48-year old decided to post a since-deleted message for Pride Month, in which he suggested queer people take the time this June to thank a straight person “for [our] existence.” Emblazoned on a rainbow flag, no less!

Jeremy Bieber's Pride Month message on a rainbow flag
Image Credit: Twitter, @JeremyBieber

Now Jeremy… why’d you have to go ahead and post something as uncalled for and wrong-headed as that? While not blatantly homophobic, the implication here is that queer people only care about themselves, and that the happiness and liberation we celebrate every June—that same happiness and liberation all folks deserve—is actually owed to the straights.

Sure Jan Jeremy.

Naturally, the backlash was swift, with many logging on to call out Daddy Bieber for his offensive post. Before too long, his plea to thank the straights was deleted, but his follow-up only made things worse:

Oh, we get it now. So, the LGBTQ+ community—the one currently under attack from far-right conservatives and politicians trying to legislate them out of existence—is simply getting too much attention for your taste? And that, by “glorifying” queer people, we’re taking away valuable time that could be spent celebrating families?

Make it make sense.

This whole “What about the traditional American family!?” thing is pretty rich coming from a man who… well, we’ll let the people in his mentions do the talking:

Look, we’re getting into some touchy subject matter here. Ever since Justin Bieber became a viral sensation and broke through in the music industry as just a teen, his relationship with his father has been a rocky one—and that’s certainly not something we need to comment on further.

But his dad should know by now that if he’s going to go around preaching about family values, it’s all going to get thrown back in his face.

Related:

WATCH: Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber get intimate

It was only a matter of time.

Per a report from The Daily Mail, a source close to the “Peaches” singer says Justin was upset about his father’s tweet and being pulled into the mess by association. Apparently, the two have since spoken, with Daddy Bieber and Little Bieber now on the same page and eager to move beyond it.

Jeremy even went so far as to issue an apology tweet—but we use the term “apology” here loosely because what is the point of this?

No, Mr. Bieber, acknowledging the nuclear family itself isn’t offensive, but that original post—tied to Pride Month—felt pretty pointed, eh? And yet, here you are soft-pedaling and somehow making yourself a victim in all of this?

To his credit, he does end his latest tweet with, “Not that my opinion matters,” so at least we can agree on something!

If Jeremy would ever care to properly apologize, he could stand to learn some lessons from his son because this is how you do it:

And, while we’re here: Shout out the dancers from the “Sorry” video! We don’t know if any of them identify as queer, but this choreography is gay rights.

Happy Pride!

Related:

Seven-Year-Old Boy Drops Killer Moves To Justin Bieber’s “Sorry”