English music legend Elton John has criticized DaBaby over his HIV and homophobic comments while performing at Rolling Loud Miami over the weekend.
Responding to the comments, the founder of Elton John AIDS Foundation has weighed in on the issue by sharing some facts around HIV. Sir Elton John shared his thoughts on the issue through a lengthy and educative post on Instagram. He said he was “shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements” made by DaBaby at Rolling Loud Miami festival, adding “this fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic”. Sir Elton John wrote:
We’ve been shocked to read about the HIV misinformation and homophobic statements made at a recent DaBaby show. This fuels stigma and discrimination and is the opposite of what our world needs to fight the AIDS epidemic.
The facts are:
HIV has affected over 70 million people globally: men, women, children and the most vulnerable people in our communities.
In America, a gay black man has a 50% lifetime chance of contracting HIV. Stigma and shame around HIV and homosexuality is a huge driver of this vulnerability. We need to break down the myths and judgements and not fuel these.
You can live a long and healthy life with HIV. Treatment is so advanced that with one pill a day, HIV can become undetectable in your body so you can’t pass it onto other people.
Homophobic and HIV mistruths have no place in our society and industry and as musicians, we must spread compassion and love for the most marginalised people in our communities. A musician’s job is to bring people together.
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DaBaby came under fire after his set at Rolling Loud Miami on July 25, 2021, for saying, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks, then put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking di*k in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.” However, he has apologized for his comments about people living with HIV while on stage at Rolling Loud Miami festival. He described his comments while on stage at the festival as “insensitive,” and stating that he had “no intentions on offending anybody.” See more details via this link.
