Billy Porter is calling out Vogue once again for choosing Harry Styles as their first male appearance on the cover in 2020.
The Pose star demands that the prestigious fashion magazine add it’s support to non-binary fashion activists’ efforts.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, the 53-year-old takes a dig at the longtime editor of the magazine for making “white” and “straight” Harry Styles their first male on the cover even when he “doesn’t care” about the movement.
Recalling his interview with the editor Anna Wintour, he revealed that she asked his opinion on how to make things better at the magazine when it came to non-binary fashion.
“That b—- said to me at the end, ‘How can we do better?’ And I was so taken off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said,” Porter told The Telegraph, adding that he now wishes he had told her, “Use your power as Vogue to uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement … Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover.”
The British pop star graces the cover of Vogue's December 2020 issue, donning a Gucci dress. Within the article, he delves into his unique fashion style that challenges traditional gender norms, citing influential figures such as David Bowie, Prince, and Elton John as sources of inspiration.
During an interview with The Telegraph, Porter clarifies that he doesn't harbor any particular issues with the former One Direction member.
“It’s not Harry Styles’ fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way,” the Tony-and Grammy-winner explains. “I call out the gatekeepers.”
He adds, “[Styles is] white and he’s straight. That’s why he’s on the cover. Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community — or your people are using my community — to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything.”
Porter has previously expressed his discontent with Styles' Vogue cover on multiple occasions. During an interview with The Sunday Times in October 2021, the acclaimed Kinky Boots star criticized the photo shoot of the Adore You singer, stating that it disregarded the efforts of pioneers like himself who have diligently worked towards popularizing androgynous and gender-fluid fashion.
“I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but he is the one you’re going to try and use to represent this new conversation? He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do,” Porter remarked at the time.
“This is politics for me. This is my life. I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars and not be gunned down. All he has to do is be white and straight.”