Beyonce faces criticism for $24M private performance in Dubai amid UAE’s anti-LGBTQ policies: ‘Deeply…disappointed’
Beyonce has faced criticism after accepting a $24 million payday for her performance at Dubai’s new Atlantis the Royal hotel on Saturday amid the UAE’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
The Grammy winner’s trip to the area “casts a shadow over her support for lesbians and gay men,” said Bev Jackson, co-founder of British advocacy group LGB Alliance.
“Beyoncé is a huge icon for a lot of gay people,” Bev Jackson told The Telegraph Sunday. “The LGB Alliance is therefore deeply disappointed that Beyoncé has agreed to perform a lucrative concert in Dubai, where same-sex sexual activity is a criminal offense with a potential death penalty.”
The Latest: Beyonce has faced criticism after accepting a $24 million payday for her performance at Dubai’s new Atlantis the Royal hotel on Saturday amid the UAE’s anti-LGBTQ policies. She was pictured at the event on Saturday
The Houston native, 41, performed a full live concert for the first time in four years in an hour-long concert at the new facility, once being hoisted 16 feet in the air by the hotel’s Skyblaze fountain.
Beyonce once performed the song Brown Skin Girl with her daughter Blue Ivy, 11, on Saturday. While efforts were made to restrict filming of the exclusive concert, a few clips were released on social media over the weekend.
A number of fans took to Twitter to question why the wealthy Crazy in Love singer had agreed to perform under the disputed circumstances, regardless of the finances involved.
“If you’re that rich…largely, if not entirely, due to the strong loyalty of LGBTQ+ fans – what amount of money is just too much to refuse to perform in a homophobic country?” said one user.
The Houston native performed a full live concert in a one-hour concert at the new facility for the first time in four years
The Grammy winner’s trip to the area “casts a shadow over her support for lesbians and gay men,” said Bev Jackson, co-founder of British advocacy group LGB Alliance
Another user suggested, “Beyoncé isn’t an LGBTQ+ ally when she’s performing in Dubai for money, and she literally doesn’t need a penny of it.”
Others questioned the notion that Beyonce – who dedicated her album Renaissance to her late Uncle Johnny and the LGBTQ+ community – was a true community ally after the weekend getaway.
“So wait, let me get that straight,” said one user. “@Beyonce releases an entire album dedicated to the LGBTQ community and then performs in Dubai for the first time in years?! The same Dubai that is vehemently homophobic…?
One user said: “You can’t say you’re an ally of the LGBTQ+ community if you’re taking money from a country that KILLS people because they’re gay. S*** doesn’t work like that. I’m talking about Beyoncé.’
Another person said: “Let’s face it, Beyonce doesn’t give a fuck about LGBTQ+ rights, she saw a big check and took it. It’s a shame that so many gay male fans of hers are so insane that they defend her appearance there as well.
A number of fans took to Twitter to question why the wealthy Crazy in Love singer had agreed to perform under the disputed circumstances, regardless of the finances involved
Others questioned the notion that Beyonce was a true community ally after the weekend getaway