Nick Jonas to ‘rescue’ Pittsburgh Pride after Iggy Azalea quits over homophobia claims
Nick Jonas has stepped in to headline Pittsburgh Pride – after white rapper Iggy Azalea dropped out of the event over claims of homophobia and racism.
The organisers of Pittsburgh Pridefest, which is set to take place on Saturday, had suffered a boycott from queer activists for booking the Australian rapper to perform at the event.
Protesters claim she is “a known homophobic, racist, culturally appropriating ‘rapper’” – citing her race, and a tweet she sent in 2011 about “dyke bitches”.
With just days to go, Azalea this week announced she would no longer perform at the event, writing: “I feel my participation at this point would only serve to further distract from the true purpose of the event.”
Upon hearing the event was now without a star, former Jonas Brothers singer Nick Jonas – who near-constantly talks about his gay fans in interviews – stepped up to headline the event instead.
He said in a statement: “When I heard about the difficult position Pittsburgh Pride was in just days before their event, I knew I had to find a way to help.
“I’m excited to do what I can to support the LGBT community in Pittsburgh, and I look forward to seeing you this Saturday as we celebrate together.”
Gary Van Horn, president of Delta Foundation, said: “Nick had heard about Pittsburgh Pride in the media and called us on Tuesday and said he would like to come and perform.
“He has been a supporter of the LGBT community, and he wanted to make sure that the community and Pittsburgh had a Pride event that they could be proud of.”
