Justin Bieber’s father sparks backlash with homophobic ‘thank a straight person’ Pride post
Justin Bieber’s father Jeremy has apologised for a post telling queer people to ‘thank a straight person’ in Pride Month. (@jeremybieber/Instagram/Getty)
Jeremy Bieber, father to global pop superstar Justin Bieber, has offered a lukewarm apology after telling the LGBTQ+ community to ‘thank’ a straight person this Pride Month.
Pride Month is a time for the LGBTQ+ community to come together, celebrate our differences and honour those who fought for our rights. At a time when queer lives across the globe are under attack, from hostility in the US to the UK being named as one of the world’s least trans-friendly countries, it’s more important than ever.
Pride is also about paying respects to the trailblazers that came before us; Alan Turing, Marsha P. Johnson and the more recently departed like Lily Savage deserve our appreciation, among countless more, for the paths they laid during their lives.
Not, however, if you’re Canadian superstar Justin Bieber’s father, Jeremy Bieber, who thinks that the queer community’s thanks this Pride Month should go towards – wait for it – straight people.
The “Purpose” singer’s father, 48, posted a now-deleted tweet that showed text set against a Pride flag which read:
“Don’t forget to thank a straight person this month for your existence.”
In response to the backlash from this post, Bieber senior then offered a fairly lukewarm apology: “Acknowledging the nuclear family is offensive?
“My apologies to those offended. Was not my intent. Not that my opinion matters.”
Various Twitter users have pointed out that “it’s clear some straight people don’t make parents” in response to the apology.
Another has noted Jeremy’s strained relationship with son Justin Bieber: “[Yo]u have three baby mamas and the breadwinner of your family was your son at 15 years old.”
Jeremy left Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, shortly after he was born in 1994.
Jeremy Bieber – who went on to give the “nuclear family” a few more tries and has four children with three women – had previously tweeted that people “need to celebrate families” and that “U know the reason we’re all here! The things this generation glorifies is unbelievable!”
Responses to the follow-up have been similarly outraged.
“Sorry yes lets glorify families. The three ‘families’ you’ve started w[ith] three different women having kids all around. GLORIFY FAMILIES!!!” one social media user wrote.
Another added: “Don’t forget to thank LGBTQ families for adopting the children unwanted by the straight people who abandoned them.”
In answer to the age old question: yes, Jeremy Bieber, it is too late to say sorry.
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