It’s no surprise that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation would express concern over controversial comments made by 50 Cent against homosexuals. What’s surprising is that the organization is praising the rapper for his honesty.
“As a public figure, 50 Cent must realize that his words can have a huge impact,” GLAAD spokesperson C. Riley Snorton said in a statement. “We applaud his honesty in talking about the murder of his bisexual mother and appreciate his acknowledgement that he is not comfortable with gay people. We know that confronting homophobia can indeed be uncomfortable. But honesty is always the first step in overcoming the desire to judge those who are different than us and in overcoming prejudice.”
In the April issue of Playboy, which hit stands last week, 50 Cent said in an interview that he wasn’t into “f–ts” and that he didn’t like “gay people around me”.
In comments separate from her statement, Snorton stressed to MTV News that it was important to provoke dialogue on the subject of homosexuality with artists who have influence in their respective communities.
“We’re in the public-education business, and we see this as an opportunity for change,” she said. “We’d like this to be the start of a dialogue. We believe the more he knows about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the more comfortable he’ll become.”
In her statement, Snorton also made a public invitation for the rapper to attend the GLAAD Media Awards, which will be held in New York on April 12. She said she had also extended the invitation to 50 Cent’s manager and record label but that she hadn’t heard back yet.
