Beyoncé makes bathrooms gender neutral on Renaissance Tour – and bigots are raging
Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour is reportedly coming to cinemas. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Parkwood)
Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour kicked off with “c*nty bee” costumes, a sickening set list and queer excellence – not forgetting every bigot’s worst fear: gender neutral toilets.
Beyoncé, Mother of the House of Renaissance, has embarked upon a dazzlingly disco-infused tour in support of her seventh studio album, complete with vogue dancers, robotic arms and a giant progress Pride-flag-inspired background. If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the past 24 hours, you’ll know what we’re talking about.
Aside from performing in Dubai earlier this year, a move that can only be described as a transgression from her usual modus operandi, Beyoncé’s first performance of the tour has reaffirmed her affinity with queer people of every creed, with its set list and staging, but the world’s most-famous mononym did not limit the promotion of self-love and acceptance to the stage.
According the Twitter account Renaissance Updates: “Beyoncé’s team is making all of the bathrooms Gender Neutral on the #RenaissanceWorldTour.”
The move, which promotes inclusion and allyship, has been met with a wave of support from fan base, the Beyhive, and beyond.
She really loves us! 😭😭😭😭
— Kalen Allen (@TheKalenAllen) May 10, 2023
anyone making an issue of this hasn’t gone to concerts. the bathrooms are usually treated like they’re gender neutral anyway. but beyoncé making a point to recognize what’s currently going on and do this is big! imma always be a fan of hers🫰🏽
— kᴇi 🌈 (@halfshikamaru) May 11, 2023
The wider implications of supporting the queer community – both vocally and with actual actions – have also not been lost on Twitter users, amid the rising tide of intolerance, particularly in the United States.
While several comments have railed against the gender-neutral toilets, with one account (complete with JK Rowling header) calling Beyoncé a “pawn of the establishment”, other users have pointed out at least one flaw with such a response: “Ain’t no way y’all are mad that the tour based off of the album that is based off of queer culture is hosting gender neutral bathrooms.”
Host of Queering the Law podcast and vocal trans lawyer, Alejandra Caraballo, also took to Twitter to write: “Beyoncé vs DeSantis is a fight I’m here for”, before pointing out that the tour schedule is due to take Queen Bee through states such as Florida and Tennessee – which have seen a recent rise in anti-queer legislation being introduced.
Caraballo continued: “Florida’s new trans bathroom ban would be in effect during Beyoncé’s August 16th tour stop at Raymond James in Tampa. The stadium is government owned and subject to the trans bathroom ban, HB 1521.”
Another Twitter user referred to the power of Beyoncé’s sometimes slightly overenthusiastic fan base, writing: “TERFs are about to come for Beyoncé and learn quite bluntly the limits of their influence.”
According to early, and very excited reviews, Beyoncé’s world tour is her queerest yet, featuring legendary ballroom dancers such as Honey Balenciaga and, of course, the Renaissance album itself, which is widely seen as the singer’s love letter to the queer community.
Featuring tributes to her late gay uncle Johnny, samples of queer Black trailblazers and even the spelling out of the progress Pride flag in the lyrics of “Cozy”, Queen B talked the talk – and the tour is walking the walk.
Beyoncé will perform one more night in Stockholm (11 May), before jetting into the UK, then the US and Canada.
Fans can get their hands on remaining tickets from ticketmaster.co.uk and ticketmaster.com.
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