Ariana Grande Joins Cher, Whitney Houston, And Janet Jackson As Gay Pride Headliner

Ariana Grande is set to take the stage Sunday evening at NYC Pride’s Dance on the Pier. She is the headlining act and is following many superstars who took the headlining spot in the past. Queerty describes one reason why Grande is a good headlining choice.

“Ariana is not afraid to clap back at the haters when they use homophobic slurs. As we reported last summer, Ariana did not hold back on an Instagram commenter who referred to her brother Frankie as ‘that homo.’ Her response to the anonymous user was well-worded, clever and punctuated with some gay sass.”

Queerty also notes how Ariana Grande’s hot album My Everything gave her two second consecutive No. 1 albums in the U.S. that featured five Billboard Top 20 singles. Not bad for a 21-year-old pop star who is said to be giving Mariah Carey a run for her money.

Ariana Grande is also a feminist. Billboard recently quoted from an empowering essay Grande wrote.

“I come from a long bloodline of female activists. My aunt Judy was the first Italian American female president of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. I think she would have been proud of me for speaking up about something that has been bothering me personally for so long.”

Ariana said she was sick of being referred to as Big Sean’s ex. She pointed out that, for too long, women have always been seen as the past, present, and future property and ownership of men. At the end of the essay, she invoked a quote from Gloria Steinem that said any woman who lives on her own as a full human being will be treated like dirt from the status quo. Ariana was widely praised for her essay.

Perhaps the fact that Ariana Grande, along with Miley Cyrus, was accused of “cultural appropriation” for trying to help the gay homeless community may have something to do with the sexism she talked about, or it could just be a case of people looking to be offended.

Comments on the Gay site Towleroad revealed some gay men were absolutely furious with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, with one commenter claiming he was sick of straight women trying to exploit the gay community. On Twitter, things were far worse — or one would hope that the awful comments towards Grande and Cyrus were just trolls.

Do you think Ariana is a good role model for the LGBT community? Do you think Grande is exploiting the LGBT community at all? Let us know in the comments section.

[Photo by Larry Busacca / Getty Images]