Bad Bunny fans shut down queerbaiting accusations after same-sex VMAs kiss

30 August 2022, 17:28

Bad Bunny shakes his ass in candid TikTok video

By Sam Prance

Bad Bunny kissed one of his male dancers during his performance of 'Titti Me Pregunto' at the MTV VMAs.

Bad Bunny fans have defended the rapper after people accused the 28-year-old of "queerbaiting" in his VMAs performance.

Bad Bunny is no stranger to using queer imagery in his art. In his 'Caro' video, the artist shares a kiss with a man and, in his 'Yo Perreo Sola' visual, he performs in drag. Over the course of his career to date, Bad Bunny has gained a large LGBTQ+ fanbase thanks to his music, imagery and the fact that he regularly speaks out against transphobia and homophobia.

On Sunday (Aug 28), Bad Bunny kissed one of his male dancers during his rendition of 'Titti Me Pregunto' at the MTV VMAs. The moment was met with widespread acclaim from fans and viewers. However, some people have accused Bad Bunny, who is currently in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, model Gabriela Berlingeri, of "queerbaiting".

READ MORE: Bad Bunny fans are living for the bisexual representation in his Caro video

Queerbaiting refers to a practice in which straight artists allude to homosexuality in their art to win over queer fans. However, Bad Bunny has never labelled his sexuality. In an interview with the LA Times, Bad Bunny said that his sexuality is fluid. He said: "It does not define me. At the end of the day, I don’t know if in 20 years I will like a man. One never knows in life."

In defence of Bad Bunny, one fan tweeted: "So if bad bunny kisses a man on live tv its queerbaiting and bad but when harry wears the most dogshit outfits and throws the "im unlabeled" card hes suddenly the face of the entire LGBTQ community [sic]".

Another fan wrote: "Bad Bunny, outspoken advocate for queer rights, trans especially, famously anti toxic masculinity, has respectfully performed in Full Drag several times himself, heatedly kissing a man on stage, is apparently queerbaiting".

You can watch Bad Bunny's same-sex kiss at the VMAs and see the reactions below.

At the VMAs, Bad Bunny also became the first ever non-English language artist to take home the Artist of the Year award. In his speech, Bad Bunny spoke in Spanish, saying: "I always believed from the beginning that I could become great. That I could become one of the biggest stars in the world without having to change my culture, my language, my jargon."

He ended by stating: "I am Benito Antonio Martínez from Puerto Rico to the whole world, thank you!"

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