For Your Anon Who Was Concerned Harry Coming Out Would Somehow Undermine The Work He Has Put In For Gender

For your anon who was concerned Harry coming out would somehow undermine the work he has put in for gender fluidity, trust me it won’t. An out gay man being a beloved, accepted, influential figure in pop culture has more power than a possibly cishet man embracing things that are considered “gay”. The reason is that much of the stigma against men in dresses comes from homophobia. The rhetoric needs to be “it’s okay if people think you might be gay” and not “you don’t have to be gay to wear a dress” because the later doesn’t dismantle the underlying homophobia. When he comes out, Harry will be gay, wearing dresses, and still considered incredibly attractive by cishet women. That sets the example to cishet men that they do not need to rigidly conform to gender roles to be attractive. And even if Harry was no longer considered attractive by his het fanbase, his choice to assert that a mainstream pop star can wear dresses at the height of his career if he wants to is still impactful for queer rights and the future of pop culture. He is different from his predecessors because of how mainstream he is. Coming out wont undermine the impact he has already had. It only opens up new doors for the future.

The rhetoric needs to be “it’s okay if people think you might be gay” and not “you don’t have to be gay to wear a dress” because the later doesn’t dismantle the underlying homophobia.

This is so important, beautifully said <3 Thank you!!