T.I. Calls Gay Activists 'Not American'
In an interview that will be published in Vibe magazine’s December issue, rapper T.I. has come under recent scrutiny after his insensitive comments about the Americanness of those in the gay community.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr., also known as T.I., was paroled from prison this September after a year sentence for weapons charges. The music icon and reality television star was upset over the outcry that fellow entertainer Tracy Morgan had to endure after one of his performances in July.
During his standup bit, Morgan apparently said that he would kill his son if he found out that his son was gay. He later issued a formal apology.
However, T.I. expressed in the interview that he felt the gay community, and in particular gay activists, were excessively sensitive when they publicly denounced Morgan’s act.
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"Man, I will say this, the funniest joke I ever heard Tracy say during a standup was, 'C'mon man, I think gay people are too sensitive. If you can take a d***, you can take a joke.' That s*** was funny to me. And it’s kind of true,” said T.I. to Vibe.
He continued, "They’re like, 'If you have an opinion against us, we're gonna shut you down.' ... That's not American. If you're gay you should have the right to be gay in peace, and if you're against it you should have the right to be against it in peace."
This is not the first time a member of the entertainment community has come given opinions concerning the place that gay individuals have in society while using insensitive statements and slurs.
Most recently was Brett Ratner’s use of a derogatory slur that forced him to leave the production of the 2012 Oscars. Kelly Osbourne’s recent interview also used insensitive language regarding trans-gender people; however, she later apologized.
Other artists, like rappers 50 Cent and Eminem, also use antigay lyrics in their music.
