Simu Liu is “definitely and unequivocally NOT” homophobic.
Forget those past comments he made on Reddit. The Shang Chi and Barbie star is preaching “love and acceptance always” on his Instagram… just in time for the release of his debut single.
Perhaps we should rewind here.
Back in 2021, the internet connected Liu to a slew of questionably homophobic and misogynistic Reddit comments posted by a since-deleted account called “NippedInTheBud.” Though the posts, made between 2013 and 2019, had been scrubbed, an online archiving tool was able to retrieve the profile, where he had identified himself as “Simu” a number of times.
Aside from being active in the r/AZNidentity subreddit (which has been called out for organizing “targeted harassment of Asian women, especially [those] with non-Asian partners and/or mixed kids”), his most disturbing post was from 2015, when he casually compared pedophiles to the LGBTQ+ community.
Liu allegedly wrote that he conducted “a significant amount of research” in preparation for portraying a pedophile in a show (likely 2015’s Canadian crime series Blood and Water), and while he made it clear that pedophilia was wrong, the preparation made him “much more sympathetic to anyone who is born with those urges”… which he then likened to homosexual attraction.
“From a biological standpoint, it’s no different than being gay – a small mutation in the genome that defines our sexual preferences,” he allegedly wrote. “Depending on what area of the world you were born and what time, it also may have been a perfectly acceptable thing to act on those urges.”
If his POV seems hard to understand, he reportedly ended the post with: “TL;DR: Actor played a pedophile for a TV show, did research, discovered being a pedophile not so different from being gay. Everyone deserves sympathy. Not black-and-white.” Which doesn’t sound too great.
In 2019, he shared a vague apology note on Twitter, writing, “Just a reminder that I do not ever EVER advocate for anything other than positivity,” and offering a disclaimer: “If you dig back far enough, I’m sure you’ll find a more immature version of me who gave into anger and hate … Mentalities evolve. We shift and we grow. And I want us all to grow the right way.”
When the comments resurfaced in 2021, he offered no further clarification beyond replying to the years-old tweets with, “Oh cool this is here.” But did he ever quite address those homophobic undertones directly?
This brings us back to today: Liu is everywhere –– from the Barbie movie, to the VIP tent at Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. And in the comments for a post announcing his debut single “Don’t,” one Instagram user @impamelo wrote, “I have a [sp] only one question, are u homophobic or not? It depends on your answer whether I will be your fan or not.”
Liu’s response? “Definitely and unequivocally NOT. love and acceptance always.” He also included a heart and rainbow emoji for good measure.
So… is this the answer we’ve been waiting for?
This viral moment from the pink carpet for Barbie may give us some clues. When Liu puts his arm around co-star Ryan Gosling, he’s quickly brushed off by his fellow Ken. “Too tender, you think,” Liu quips, a comment that makes Gosling slightly wince.
Is it a gay joke from Liu or a toxic masc moment from Gosling? You be the judge.
Maybe Liu, like his Barbie counterpart, is just a slightly aloof (and secretly tender) guy who is still figuring it out? When Margot Robbie –– Miss Barbara herself –– was asked by Vanity Fair which cast member was most like their on-screen character, she admitted: “Maybe Simu. He’s such a Ken in real life. I love him.”
Don’t get us wrong. We’re glad that Liu finally voiced his support for the LGBTQ+ community, though we’re still left with a few questions: Were Simu’s Reddit comments just a misguided opinion at the time? Is he really sorry and working to be a supportive LGBTQ+ ally? And is his new song a bop… or not?
Check out his new music video for “Don’t” below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
NickW
He wasn’t “active in the r/AZNidentity subreddit”; he replied to posts about the TV show he was on in various subreddits, including that one. His other comments are dumb and potentially harmful but they don’t suggest hatred or disgust towards queer people, just naivety. People seem really determined to hate on this guy.
dbmcvey
This is all really sketchy. I find that I can’t get riled up.
Pistolo
I never thought he was homophobic in the first place. He misspoke, he did it in the interest of compassion and out of innocence but with good intentions. Why should we be mad at him? I’ll bet he’s been subjected weird, insidious racism orbiting around Western notions of masculinity all his life. He might “get it” more than a lot of other men. No way am I gonna hold that against him, people should be allowed to muse or inquire anonymously without everyone auditing it.
DarkZephyr
I don’t think he’s homophobic, but Gosling appears to dislike him.
Louis
I certainly didn’t conclude that was equating paedophilia to homosexuality.
From the snippet above, he was saying that one’s sexual preferences aren’t one’s choice. Much like whether you only like blonds or brunettes, masc or fem, tall or short, twink or bear.
It’s triggering for us that he used THAT example because the homophobes tar us all with that brush, but I certainly didn’t read it as him taking that view.
Aaron
There is a difference between “orientation” and “preference”. Orientation is innate (in-born) while preferences are developed/learned. Being attracted to men is not the same as being attracted to blondes. Having a preference for hair color, body type, skin color, and height are developed through environmental conditioning out of the womb. This is why the term “sexual preference” is a misnomer and has been deemed outdated because orientation is not learned.
bachy
Part of playing a role convincingly involves finding a way to emotionally sympathize with the character. Sounds to me like Simu was doing that, but communicated it awkwardly to the public.
I was more intrigued by the weirdness between Simu and Gosling during that photoshoot. Gosling has always struck me as being very controlled as to how he wants to be photographed. I wonder if he has some kind of policy about not being touched during a shoot? I felt bad for Simu, who was publicly rebuffed for making a basic, friendly gesture.
ingyaom
Simu sings?
trell
This is a bit much…..
…so, a data trawling tool digs through a load of dead posts and comments, finds a bit of dirt, brushes it off and, without much context, re-publishes it with a lot of spin that it is proof positive of someone’s homophobia?
I think that it is a bit unfair on the poor guy. OK, the ‘comparison’ between paedophilia & homosexuality may appear ‘off’ but it is, to me, just a badly worded way of saying that people are born with genetic traits that do predispose them towards sexual preferences & traits. – Even then, he has still had the decency to apologise for any offence his comments might have made to anyone and state that he has grown & developed in his mentality.
The poor guy is just another actor, trying to make a positive impact in a world where every word on social media is scrutinised, got a big break, and is now at the mercy of a million keyboard warriors because of something he alluded to years ago.
Maybe if he had clearly said ‘I don’t think f***ts should raise children’ before appearing in an LGBTQ+ blockbuster, I might have considered a bit of hypocrisy, but in this case…..naaah.
inbama
I’m certainly uncomfortable with some sexologists who want to see pedophilia categorized as an “orientation” as (1) it would be the only sexual orientation where a therapist had to help his patient refrain from acting on and (2) pedophilia is one of the oldest slurs in the books used against gay men.
That said, he’s right that it is considered an inborn trait, and most pedophiles don’t act on it. That is not a homophobic statement.
Reality is messy.
On other fronts: Kevin Spacey was just acquitted.
Bosch
“I’m certainly uncomfortable with some sexologists who want to see pedophilia categorized as an “orientation” ”
Classical orientations can be measured by the hypothalamus’ reactions to sex pheromones. It is believed that humans do not emit sex pheromones until puberty. For this reason, I also find it very difficult to classify pedophilia as a sexual orientation.
Bosch
We have enough real enemies, we don’t need to invent new ones.
Jim
Let’s face it. The man has no backbone, he’ll bend as the wind blows him.
Yeah do what you will with the blow comment.
Selverd
Glad most of the comments here realize what a joke this article is.
LumpyPillows
Push back on the cancel culture vultures. Refreshing.
Kangol2
I’ll cut Simu Liu some slack on this one.
lord.krath
Glad indeed folk are researching this. It would have been a huge disappointment because he is a rising star and one in a minority group that hasn’t had a lot meaningful representation until lately.
If you read all of the supposed comments he made in their full context, it’s pretty clear he wasn’t being homophobic.
Drama. We have enough naturally occurring
drama and don’t need to invent any more.
PapaBearPgh
Just who is this guy, and why is he news?
Peter
Can’t quite figure out what happened in the Gosling-Liu clip, as the sound is garbled, but I’m not going to try to read into it. It’s not worth any effort.