“This post is giving assault victim coping mechanism rationalizing their abuse. Get help!” the user wrote, sharing an image of a tissue box reading, “It’s okay to go to therapy!”
“Well, being gay and transgender is not actually a natural thing,” Banks replied. “At all, it’s a trauma response. Science lied to you all and told you you were normal, but being homosexual — and on the more extreme end, transgender — is in fact a trauma response. No one is born gay, and no one is born in the wrong body. You guys have mental disorders that science is doing you a major disservice by not medicating. Bet you didn’t know that.”
In fact, a 2019 study found no single gene determines sexual orientation and that DNA cannot predict who will be gay or heterosexual. The study also concluded that neither biology, psychology, nor life experiences alone cause same-sex attraction.
Banks’ post drew swift criticism, with one X user writing, “You outdo your own dumbassery every time you tweet. It’s actually impressive.”
“Attraction to the same sex and living outside assigned gender roles aren’t modern concepts,” one user wrote. “They’ve existed for as long as humans have recorded history, across cultures and centuries.”
“It’s like you are purposely trying as hard as possible to be the most unlikable person in music,” added another.
This is not the first time Banks has taken aim at the LGBTQ community. In 2015, she called a Delta flight attendant a “fucking f****t” during an altercation on a plane, later defending herself by claiming she was a victim of racism.
In 2020, Banks shared a meme claiming gay men were “appropriating horse culture” by using harnesses, lubricant, and ketamine. She defended the post by saying users had mocked her Yoruba religious practices tied to the goddess Yemayá.
Later that year, Banks was suspended from Twitter for calling for an end to what she described as “luxury transgender healthcare.”
In 2021, Black LGBTQ activists urged Instagram to suspend Banks’ account after a transphobic tirade. She claimed that if society could “do mental gymnastics” to accept trans women, she should be accepted as Jewish for marrying artist Ryder Ripps.
In another post, Banks called trans women “just hot gay boys with beat faces and plastic surgery,” adding they were “gay boys on hormones using male aggression to force their ways into women’s spaces.”
D.C. resident Jevaughn Mark was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for selling fentanyl disguised as ketamine (“Special K”) to two gay men who died after using the drug.
Mark, 33, also known as "Ledo," ran what prosecutors described as a "prolific drug delivery service." He previously pleaded guilty to distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and possessing a firearm.
As part of his plea deal, Mark accepted responsibility for the deaths of 38-year-old attorney Brandon Román and 28-year-old Robert Barletta, a historic preservation expert who owned a home renovation business.
Vice President JD Vance has become the most-blocked user on Bluesky, just days after joining the social media platform and attempting to provoke its largely left-leaning user base.
According to ClearSky, a data tracker monitoring Bluesky activity, Vance has been blocked by more than 143,000 users -- the highest total since the app publicly launched in February 2024.
The number of users blocking the vice president’s account easily surpassed the previous record-holder, journalist Jesse Singal -- best known for his disparaging reports on gender-affirming care for trans youth -- who currently sits at 81,531 blocks.
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer has signed an executive order protecting transgender individuals from having their medical or personal information shared with out-of-state authorities seeking to prosecute them for obtaining gender-affirming care.
Meyer signed the order last Friday at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, surrounded by LGBTQ advocates and activists.
The order prohibits Delaware state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state investigations targeting anyone who provides, receives, or assists others in obtaining legal gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy or puberty blockers. It also bars agencies from sharing medical records, billing data, or personal information about anyone involved in such care.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
Bisexual rapper Azealia Banks sparked backlash after posting on X that being gay or transgender is “not natural,” calling both “a trauma response.”
Banks made the comment in response to an X user who had replied to a since-deleted post.
“This post is giving assault victim coping mechanism rationalizing their abuse. Get help!” the user wrote, sharing an image of a tissue box reading, “It’s okay to go to therapy!”
“Well, being gay and transgender is not actually a natural thing,” Banks replied. “At all, it’s a trauma response. Science lied to you all and told you you were normal, but being homosexual — and on the more extreme end, transgender — is in fact a trauma response. No one is born gay, and no one is born in the wrong body. You guys have mental disorders that science is doing you a major disservice by not medicating. Bet you didn’t know that.”
In fact, a 2019 study found no single gene determines sexual orientation and that DNA cannot predict who will be gay or heterosexual. The study also concluded that neither biology, psychology, nor life experiences alone cause same-sex attraction.
Banks’ post drew swift criticism, with one X user writing, “You outdo your own dumbassery every time you tweet. It’s actually impressive.”
“Attraction to the same sex and living outside assigned gender roles aren’t modern concepts,” one user wrote. “They’ve existed for as long as humans have recorded history, across cultures and centuries.”
“It’s like you are purposely trying as hard as possible to be the most unlikable person in music,” added another.
This is not the first time Banks has taken aim at the LGBTQ community. In 2015, she called a Delta flight attendant a “fucking f****t” during an altercation on a plane, later defending herself by claiming she was a victim of racism.
In 2020, Banks shared a meme claiming gay men were “appropriating horse culture” by using harnesses, lubricant, and ketamine. She defended the post by saying users had mocked her Yoruba religious practices tied to the goddess Yemayá.
Later that year, Banks was suspended from Twitter for calling for an end to what she described as “luxury transgender healthcare.”
In 2021, Black LGBTQ activists urged Instagram to suspend Banks’ account after a transphobic tirade. She claimed that if society could “do mental gymnastics” to accept trans women, she should be accepted as Jewish for marrying artist Ryder Ripps.
In another post, Banks called trans women “just hot gay boys with beat faces and plastic surgery,” adding they were “gay boys on hormones using male aggression to force their ways into women’s spaces.”
More from Metro Weekly: