Iggy Azalea has cancelled her slot at the Pittsburgh Pride weekend after members of the LGBTQIA community pointed out that the performer had previously used language on social media that was both homophobic and racist. Azalea apologized for her previous comments, and acknowledged that-while still a supporter of equal rights-she felt her performance would draw attention away from the cause in light of recent events.
"I am a firm believer in equality. Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have. The last thing I want is for something so carelessly said to be interpreted as reflective of my character," she wrote. "I meant no harm and deeply regret ever uttering those words. As an adult I would never use them because I understand they play a detrimental role in the fight for issues that I do truly believe in. I am sorry to anyone I have offended or disappointed & I wish all my fans and friends participating in Pride the best of luck."
That sounds sincere but then again, it's not like she's apologizing for comments she made when she was in middle school. According to Twitter, Azalea's first tweet came on June 11, 2010, when she was 20. That means that all of the offensive tweets (listed here) came at some point between her 20th and 25th birthdays. She uses the phrase "as an adult" to describe herself at 25, seemingly suggesting she was still a child at age 20. It's good she's had a change of attitude, but the protests of Pittsburgh LGBT-rights activists are understandable as well.
Although there is some really vile stuff going on among Azalea's archived (albeit deleted) tweets, we suppose we should acknowledge that Azalea has admitted to questionable treatment of homosexual individuals, which is something we presume we'll never get from Azealia.
