So if someone you’re interested in isn’t attracted to you, one reason may be that you’re just not that attractive, at least to them. Another reason could be that your unrequited affection could never be fulfilled because its object isn’t attracted to people of your gender. That’s a little bit easier for a fragile psyche to take — you can just say “oh, well,” can’t fight nature. Singer Billie Eilish’s new song “Wish You Were Gay” (video below) describes the second path, the hope that a lack of returned romance is a matter of gender preference, not the singling out the singer for personal rejection. It makes sense, but does it insult the LGBTQ population? Or as the publication PRIDE asks, “Is Billie Eilish’s new song Queer Baiting?”
As with all controversial subjects, people come down on both sides and all sorts of places in between. But Eilish has anticipated the potential objections to the ideas in her song. To counter potential protest and anger, Eilish has made it clear she’s aware of the ground she’s trodding here and wants to make positive use of her steps. To this end, Eilish announced that for 48 hours she’s donating a portion of the proceeds from all merch sales to The Trevor Project, which provides help and essential suicide prevention lifelines to LGBTQ youth. (The Q in the Trevor projects stands not for queer but for “questioning”.)
Is a portion of merch proceeds enough to shield Eilish from backlash? Does she deserve backlash in the first place — or rather praise for her song among LGBTQ advocates? Eilish will find out. The new single, released this week, is on the new record When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? And there’s also the predictable response from some gay fans: “I really wanted this to be about Billie being gay,” says one in the video comments.
For 48 hours, a portion of proceeds from Billie’s merch store will go to the @TrevorProject. https://t.co/DfS5chOLZ5 pic.twitter.com/qOUGz9iPIJ
— billie eilish (@billieeilish) March 4, 2019
