Yungblud responds to accusations that he is "queerbaiting"
24 February 2020, 15:37
Yungblud has described his sexuality as "very fluid" but "more straight".
Yungblud has denied that he is "queerbaiting" in a new interview. Queerbaiting is a marketing technique used to attract (or "bait") an LGBTQ+ audience. In TV, it might be when a show hints that characters have a same-sex relationship but then never actually shows it, or with celebrities, it could be when they're deliberately ambiguous about their sexual identity to appear more edgy or appealing.
Yungblud, born Dominic Harrison, is known for his non-conforming style and he has previously said that he feels "sexy" when he wears dresses. He also regularly dons makeup, fishnet tights and skirts. However, perhaps because of this he has been accused of queerbaiting.
READ MORE: YUNGBLUD says he feels "sexy" when he wears dresses
Speaking with the Evening Standard, the singer said: "I've been accused of queerbaiting. But I am absolutely not. I don’t tread the boards or tiptoe on eggshells for anyone. If I’m not going to tiptoe around what clothes or lipstick I wear, I’m not going to tiptoe around what’s politically correct."
Yungblud, who is sexually fluid, has said that he would actually like to be an ambassador for the LGBTQ+ community. "Boxes are so irrelevant in terms of sexual identity," he explained. "A lot of people just feel how they feel."
He added: "I tried everything. In terms of sexuality, in terms of drugs, I liberated myself, rather dangerously to be honest – recklessly. I wanted to figure myself out so bad I didn’t care. I always say to young people, it was a distraction."
And while queerbaiting is to reel in an LGBTQ+ audience, Yungblud went on to reveal that his choice in clothing and assumed sexual identity has seen him receive death threats.
READ MORE: Yungblud teases new music with photo of his butt
He continued: "In Russia we got death threats, like, 'I’m going to f***ing cut your head off, faggot, for wearing a skirt.' When you’ve grown up in Doncaster wearing fishnets and dresses at public bus stops, you toughen up."
