One thing about Billy Porter, he’s going to stand on what he says.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, the entertainer revisited Harry Style’s controversial Vogue cover as he was dubbed the first solo male to appear on the cover of the fashion magazine. As we previously reported, Styles, 29, famously posed in a Gucci dress for Vogue’s December 2020 issue. While previously speaking with The Sunday Times in a new interview, the actor, 53, made it clear that he was NOT here for the musician being praised for breaking gender norms, as Porter noted he was “the first one doing it.” He said at the time, “I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me because they have to. I created the conversation [about nonbinary fashion] and yet Vogue still put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time.” He added, “I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it,” Porter added. “I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but he is the one you’re going to try and use to represent this new conversation? He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do.”
Of course with a statement like that it made tins of headlines. However, Porter later clarified his stance. While addressing the big topic with
Stephen Colbert during his Late Show appearance, Porter said, “Apparently, I’m famous now and it was a slow news day. The first thing I wanna say is, Harry Styles, I apologize to you for having your name in my mouth. It’s not about you. The conversation is not about you.”
RELATED: Billy Porter Slams Vogue Over Harry Styles Dress Cover: I Was The First One Doing It’
Despite that, years later, he still feels the same way. In the new interview, Porter explained his frustration with the fashion industry’s “gatekeepers” who constantly skip out on recognizing members of the LGBTQ community for their role in defying gender norms. Porter even recalled that months before the cover, he actually sat down for a Q&A with the outlet’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in front of the Condé Nast staff.
“That b*tch said to me at the end, ‘How can we do better?’ And I was so taken off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said,” Porter told The Telegraph. He said at that moment he should’ve told her to “Use your power as Vogue to uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering fashion movement” noting “Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover.”
He went on to clarify that his issues are not with the former One Direction member. “It’s not Harry Styles’s fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way,” Porter said. “I call out the gatekeepers.”
Giving credit to the stars who have been breaking barriers before him, Porter went on to say, “I know David Bowie existed, I know Sylvester existed,” he told the outlet adding “[Styles is] white and he’s straight. That’s why he’s on the cover. Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community – or your people are using my community – to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything.”
And I oop… Socialites, what are your thoughts on this topic? Sound off in the comment box below!