Tyler Perry was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 93rd Oscars last night for his for his work helping people during the pandemic. In his speech, Perry called for people to “refuse to hate.”
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“I refuse to hate someone because they are Mexican, or because they are Black or White, or LBGTQ,” Perry said. “I refuse to hate someone because they are a police officer. I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian.”
Yes, folx. You read/heard that correctly, Tyler Perry mixed up the letters in LGBTQ. People in the room didn’t seem to notice (probably because they were all half asleep), but those on Twitter certainly did, and they had a lot to say about it.
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They also had a lot to say about Perry denouncing hate when so many of his films, plays, and TV shows contain homophobic stereotypes and gay jokes, dabble in transphobia, slut shame women, vilify bisexual men, and stigmatize AIDS.
Oh, and they had a lot to say about Perry comparing being LGBTQ to being a cop.
And now, the tweets…
can we talk about how lowkey homophobic Tyler Perry’s writing be? like I’m not saying he himself is homophobic clearly but at the same time if the shoe fits… https://t.co/wxGLgAdthc
— tah • four (@ohcarofat) April 26, 2021
did Tyler Perry just compare receiving racist and homophobic hate to the experience of being a police officer?
— Sam Howe (@SamHowe14) April 26, 2021
I have no doubt that Tyler Perry is a great person. But that does not make his homophobic, misogynistic, offensively conservative "films" any less atrocious.? #Oscars #Oscars2021 #Oscar2021 #Oscar #TylerPerry
— Vassos F. (@VassosF) April 26, 2021
“i don’t care if you’re gay or a cop!”
— k (@kassneck) April 26, 2021
All I'm gonna say is that Tyler Perry makes a lot of hateful statements about women and gay people in his work. #Oscars
— ?? Chelsea ? (@panelsandprose) April 26, 2021
Tyler Perry knows damn well ‘police officer’ is not a race.
And hating a police officer is not the same as being xenophobic and homophobic.
Too much money for him not to know the difference pic.twitter.com/Ro6n3DlTpu
— oozi crystal (@ANTWANDUNCAN) April 26, 2021
So racist, homophobic, and xenophobic folks will denounce hatred because Tyler Perry said so?
— DiorCherie88 (@DiorCherie88) April 26, 2021
When Tyler Perry said “L. B. G. T.” At first I was like , “you’re so close!” Then I thought. “Yeah. The gays need to be dropped a peg.” #Oscars pic.twitter.com/6U9ZS7LwqB
— ?CAFE Flop Era ? (@KarlosTheFog) April 26, 2021
is this a joke, w Tyler Perry getting a humanitarian award? gives his whole team vaccines, yeah great, so they can keep making the most homophobic and misogynistic movies in mainstream cinema, great, congratulations.
— t h e t a r u (@grotsky_af) April 26, 2021
tyler perry just said he refuses to hate “Mexicans, LBGT and police officers”
— ethically welsh ??????? (@letsassume) April 26, 2021
Hey Tyler Perry, thanks for talking about cops in the same sentence as gay and black people, but being a cop is a choice, and very single other thing you mentioned is not.
— Sean Hough??? (@seanhough815) April 26, 2021
I just found out Tyler Perry is straight because what gay man is out here saying “LBGTQ”
— Shego Stan (@iwaskobeonce) April 26, 2021
Tyler Perry just said “LBGT” at the oscars
— aksel 🦦 (@aksually) April 26, 2021
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Fahd
Tyler Perry may have done a lot for the economy of Atlanta and elsewhere, but to award him an Oscar, albeit an honorary award, seems in poor taste (tonedeaf?) given his many movies that contain homophobic, transphobic (sub) plots, not to mention African-American stereotypes. Money may make the world go around, but I think future audiences will not approve of many depictions in his films regrading them as exploiting stereotypes that just will seem undignified and dehumanizing, rather than funny. I guess there are pressures on the Academy to embrace diversity, but Tyler Perry? I don’t like Steve Harvey either.
Joshooeerr
Perry’s honorary Oscar – much like the supporting actor awards to Daniel Kaluya and Yuh-Jung Youn and the director award Chloe Zhao – were quite clearly part of the Academy’s desperate campaign to re-calibrate it’s position on diversity and make the whole “Oscar so white” thing go away. Whether or not any of these individuals were deserving, their awards will always have the taint of tokenism because they were very, very clearly tokenistic.
Kangol2
@Joshooeerr, OK. So I get what you’re trying to say, but what it sounds like is that you’re claiming that unless a White actor wins the awards are viewed as tainted. You know that sounds awful, I hope. Sometime the best and most compelling actors in any given film, let alone in a comparison films, may not be White, and a number of POC actors have been winning Academy Awards over the last 10 years. The Academy’s push precedes this year. In the case of Tyler Perry, he is a major force in filmmaking and TV today, he probably will never win an Academy Award for his films or TV shows (the writing in both is often pretty bad) popular though they are, and he is someone the Academy doesn’t want to ignore, so they gave him this award. A bit of liberalism probably factored in, but the man makes a lot of money and that is something that Hollywood always pays attention to.
Donston
Joshy, so in other words, if someone white doesn’t win that means it’s “tainted” and purely tokenism? Never mind all the outside factors that lead to a white person winning, whether it’s deserved or not. Most white winners depend on narrative and politics to win Oscars like everybody else. Let’s also disregard the fact that the academy could have easily given two leading Oscars to black actors but chose not to. Let’s as well disregard the fact that Nomadland was the most acclaimed movie of the year and has been the perceived frontrunner for Best Picture and Best Director since the reviews starting coming out. Let us also overlook Yu-Jung having easily the most revered performance in her category. The only people who see these wins as “tainted” are the ones who want to aka you.
Perry getting an honory Oscar is a bit of stretch and just wasn’t needed.
ShiningSex
ISN’T TYLER PERRY GAY??? PROBABLY CLOSETED. HE SCREAMS QUEEN!!!
AS FOR HIS FILMS BEING “SLUT SHAMING” WOMEN.
HIS FILMS ARE DUMB, BUT THE WHOLE “SLUT SHAMING” IS STUPID.
WHO WOULD BE PROUD OF BEING A SLUT WHETHER MALE OR FEMALE? TAKE NO PRIDE IN BEING A SLUT. OWN IT.
AGAIN, HE’S A MORON.
Donston
In one of his movies he had his female lead contract A-I-D-S after she had an affair. In another movie he had his female lead go crazy and accidentally die after she dumped her broke husband and he randomly got rich. In another movie, he had his female lead be accused of murdering her husband, who cheated on her and stole all her money. It’s beyond “slut-shaming”. He feels the need to “punish” women for how they live their lives or who they have relationships with. It he leans on the same tired and basic tropes without even attempting to flesh them out or give anyone nuance. His films have definitely leaned heavy on preaching the idea that women need to be with and be loyal to broke, church going men with six packs. And nothing else will make them happy.
hansniemeijer
What an idiot…
tjack47
Tyler Perry didn’t say it in that context. He was just talking about hate. He included the police, and y’all bitches are acting as if all cops are bad and no cops are LGBT+. It’s extremely taken out of context. Listen and think.
Donston
I read the whole thing. It was misguided. But what makes it worse is how problematic his projects have been, how poorly measured some of his past speeches and interviews have been, his refusal to produce anything from other black creatives despite having a shit ton of money and clout, how talentless he is. People would have given him more of the benefit of the doubt if there wasn’t all this other stuff.
xiphoid76
Exactly. He was just saying not to hate. Most cops are fantastic people, some LBGTQ (sic) people are horrible, but we should not hate them just because of who they are or the profession they choose. It was a good speech. Hate his movies and don’t know much about the man, but to take offense at this is a little crazy.
Donston
Tyler stay missing the mark and stays on the fence. If you want to talk more nuanced about the police and call for people not to hate all police, fine. But there’s no reason to compare different races or “queers” to police officers. Grouping in police officers with folks who have been oppressed for generations was incredibly misguided. There’s nothing “oppressed” about the police. Even the “Mexicans” thing was kinda eh.
If you wanna be out here opening up group homes and reach-out centers for “queers” and trying to present yourself as a philanthropist, you need to read the room better and communicate better. While he still only uses “queerness” in his projects for sensationalism or as background characters. Never mind how one-dimensional and old-fashioned his views of black women and ethics are. However, it’s apparent at this point that Perry’s main focus is money, giving semi misguided and self-congratulatory speeches and staying in good standing with the only demo that legit support his work (middle-aged or older black women).
MissTerri
He didn’t say cops were oppressed or even the same as gay people. He said he doesn’t hate them. Learn to read, Dolton.
Donston
I said what I said. Don’t be messy and bitchy when it’s not necessary. I know it’s the internet, and it’s hard to resist that instinct but still.
cheks
Let me preface by saying I’m not defending Tyler Perry or his works. His statement though, does not compare being gay or facing homophobic hate to being a cop. His point, as I understood it, is that he personally does not hate anyone. And being a Black man, and saying he does not hate someone just for being a cop is powerful. The policing system is messed up in the US, but there are gay cops and Black cops, Asian cops, trans cops, etc. I think by his small gesture of saying he doesn’t hate cops (he didn’t say he liked them… Not hating something is a pretty low bar) he’s trying to sow some seeds of healing. Maybe it’s tone deaf or not the right time. But he’s not comparing anything.
If I say I don’t hate Black people or White people, I’m not comparing the experiences of Black people and White people. I feel like this is basic comprehension, and people are deliberately twisting his words.
Anyway, I applaud those who are pointing out his past works speak louder than his current words. If he wants to make a difference, he can use his massive influence to push for community support for the Equality Act (for example).
Mack
I understood it the same as you did. He’s merely stating DO NOT HATE. Not all cops are bad, but the problem is the good cops too often turns a blind eye to the bad cops so they will have their backs when needed. As far as the mix up letters in the LGBTQ could have been an accident, could have been on purpose, however irrelevant.
marshal phillips
Actions speak louder than words.
DennisMpls
It’s totally against my nature to be blunt and negative about other people’s expressed opinions, but in this case I just can’t stop myself. I’m appalled at the ridiculous logic and/or stupidity of the right wing, but I’ve learned that we on the left are not immune. It’s a sentiment worthy of someone like Sean Hannity to say that Tyler Perry “equated” being LGBTQ with being a police officer. He did no such thing, and if you think that you have to step back and examine your thought processes.
He is arguing (do I really have to explain this???) against hatred for superficial reasons. Hatred of all types. He could well have included hatred of people for being poor, or wealthy, or overweight, or a business person, or whatever. He very obviously included “police officer” because of where our society has been recently. I live in Minneapolis, so I have had a front row seat to issues of race and policing, and I have obviously seen the impacts of bad police officers. But to hate someone automatically and without thought JUST BECAUSE they are a police officer is superficial and stupid, and Tyler Perry is against that sort of reflexive reaction. I’ve seen that too here in Minneapolis, with lots of “ACAB” graffiti (“all cops are bast*rds”). We on the left are supposed to be the logical ones, the ones who see beyond the surface, the ones who don’t hate someone because of what they are. And yes, even though a police officer chose to be that, and I didn’t choose to be gay, hating a police officer just because they are a police officer is indeed hating someone for what they are.
Bravo to Tyler Perry for getting that, and expressing that.
(I haven’t watched his films, so I can’t comment on his supposed sins there. But I can say that in general my fellow progressives tend to have their undies in a bunch way too often when it comes to humor, which should get a wide latitude and broad “license” to “offend.”)
Donston
This is 2021. That “let us all come together” perspective in general is played out, and it’s always been shallow. It’s a way to get people to shut up and/or ignore the specifics of issues. There are good reasons why there is so much resentment towards the police system. If he had no real insight or wasn’t gonna talk about things in a more nuanced way, then that’s something he should have left out of his speech. Because this shit is too messy and complex to just add it in the middle of your “let’s all come together” speech. While adding in police officers to races and “queers” and nationalities was just tasteless. Honestly, the whole speech was cheesy and ineffective and was designed to placate to the “the middle”. His history and his resume certainly doesn’t help his case out either.
I don’t think the people who called out Perry were offended or suddenly hate him or were “outraged” (as often is the case with Twitter). And this didn’t make me like or dislike Perry any more or less. They just said it was a dumb and/or misguided inclusion considering the state of things. They have the right to do so.
Dymension
He is not comparing being a copy to being LGBTQ. He’s talking about hate. He doesn’t want to hate, and thinks you should not hate either. A gay joke, however misplaced, is not necessarily hate, especially if it comes from a person who IS LGBT or Q.
Dymension
Also, about LBGT, instead of LGBT, ya’ll may not remember this but in the 70s it was GLBT. At the end of the day does it really matter which order it’s in, as long as it is in?
Donston
Can people who don’t know much of anything about Perry, his projects or his history stay quiet in the bleachers?
Perrry has presented himself as nothing but a “straight” guy. He might be otherwise. But he has yet to publicly express that. In fact, he got The Cartoon Network to pull an episode of The Boondocks because it suggested that he messed around with dudes. Also, he never indulged any “gay jokes”. He got called out for putting out tons of projects but never including any “queers”. Once he started to include them (only in his TV shows, never his movies or plays) they have only been window dressing and/or he’s only used “queerness” for sensationalism and to add drama in the lives of his “straight” characters.
I don’t feel any type of way about any of this. I’ve accepted that Perry perhaps has some issues with trauma, his sexuality, where he is in the gender, romantic, sexual, affection, emotional investment, commitment spectrum. And I’ve accepted that he has very little talent. While the people talking about him “messing up the order” are clearly joking.
DennisMpls
I do indeed remember it being GLBT at one time. Though even then I don’t think it was universal. When I was writing stuff on the late and lamented AfterElton site I debated a couple of times myself which way to go since that was primarily a gay male site, and it seemed logical to put the G first. I don’t recall the gay community ever getting together to vote on the order of the letters. If it happened my ballot must have gotten lost in the mail. But now apparently it’s a significant sin to put the letters in the “wrong” order. I know the “correct” order is shown in the “Little Black Book Of Proper Queer Thought,” but I refuse to consult that manual out of principle. Apparently “gay Twitter” consults it regularly.
Prax07
So I’m supposed to hate Madea now? Goes back to watching Diary of a mad black woman…
amanwithanedge
she a big fat mess.
MissTerri
Are you serious? You mad because he mixed up letters? Get a real journalism job.
Bosch
He explicitly speaks up against gay-hate, and you find a way to complain about it. There are REAL homophobes out there, we don’t need to invent more.
Maybe it’s time to leave queerty. Too many stories are either about how we’re supposed to hate another celebrity, or how about it’s totally normal for straight men to have gay sex.
This place ain’t what it used to be.
Donston
Really, the internet in general isn’t what it used to be. But this place is all about getting clicks, shares and comments. It’s not even pretending to be anything other than a place that publishes a bunch of Tweets. They depend heavily on click-bait-y headlines and other people’s Tweets and don’t do much of anything else.
As for Perry, he may have “spoken out” against certain things. But his projects still ooze of homophobia and viewing “queerness” as something shocking and sensationalistic or something that should be in the background. While he refuses to be publicly “out”. I’m not here to push folks out of the closet. That’s their life, and I understand how daunting hetero pressures, “queer” insecurities, past traumas, mental health struggles, potential fluidity, the gender/romantic/sexual/affection/emotion/commitment spectrum are. But it does seem as if he’s still “in” primarily because of his ego and because he doesn’t want to lose a decent percentage of his following (Christian middle-aged and older black women). While the harassment claims aren’t a good look.
His speech wasn’t truly offensive and the headline doesn’t reflect what was said, but the speech was a bit problematic and misguided. So, I understand folks calling him out. On the other hand, being mad at him for “mixing up” the letters is partly why I’m cool with the all-encompassing “queer” moniker as opposed to this “lgbtq etc” crap. That type of pettiness is also partly why I have issues with the way identity politics are pushed and promoted. I do however think most of those people complaining about the order were joking.
BoylesqueBubble
Stupid speech by Perry aside and how problematic it is, not to mention tone deaf. Now Gay Twitter (and the forever insufferable Graham Gremore) are freaking out over a g-damn letter being out of place? There are so many letters now added to the whole list of letter characters that I cannot keep up as it is, and now if a letter isn’t in the correct place, the community explodes? So sick of hearing about these molehills people can’t seem to not create a mountain over. A displaced letter? Seriously???
JromeGervais09
TPerry is a big ole closet queen who has had many men on his sets and his assistants in his studios complain about it. He has coerced men to have sex with him; got complaints leaking out and then there were the payoffs. He is just become more white and with money. He’s a hypocrite and I don’t like his movies or his alleged comedies.
wooly101
Good for tyler Perry.
CityguyUSA
Why don’t we ask the same question about fake abs, fake arms and legs, butts and the more prevelent just let me put my head on this body and the soon to be let me just be this other person?
Everytime I attempt to ask I’m not treating people properly and I’m threatened with having my remarks removed. Or someone is bent over shoving their hairy ass in my face but I’m not allowed to say anything sexual because it sounds like other words that people have reported.
Let’s deal with all this and Zac’s awful jaw. It’s time we have some equality. If a poster is going to post a sexually explicit pic than I should be able to respond to that whether he wants me to or not or if IG wants me to. And if I want to show him my extra wide man meat than I should be allowed.
CityguyUSA
Define “being mean spirited” Queerty.
Luxury
What an IDIOTIC headline!
Leash
His movies might be problematic, but he didn’t do what you said he did in your headline. What is this fox news? Be better queerty! I know you need them clicks, but not like that.
sfhairy
FFS Queerty. Stop with the yellow journalism. He mixed up the nonsensical alphabet that has become an overreach of the gay and lesbian community, so what.
Essie
What difference does it make what order the letters are in? And the man was saying there should be NO HATE. Why is any of what he said bad? Whatever. I didn’t watch the oscars or read about it so this is all new to me. I’ll just go back to what I was doing, reading a biography of Ethel Waters by Donad Bogle. Excellent!!
JessPH
He’s not telling us to adore police officers. He’s just saying to not hate anyone for their chosen profession. And don’t act as if you haven’t benefit from any police protection
karholme51
This article is so sensitive. He said just stop hating period and guess what this article & comment section are doing? Hatinggggggg. This man living his best life not hating and everyone here having migraines. He said LBGT instead of LGBT, guess what…..it still says the same thing. I need to unsubscribe. Don’t want to be part of the hating group anymore.