Jeremy Bieber, the father of pop sensation Justin Bieber, has incited online outrage following an objectionable Instagram post seen as anti-LGBTQIA+.
In his contentious post, Bieber Sr. insinuated that the LGBTQIA+ community owes its existence to straight individuals and should express gratitude accordingly.
Deploying his Instagram story feature to broadcast his views to his 2 million followers, Jeremy weighed in on June's recognition as Pride Month. The post contained a rainbow flag emoji—symbolic of the LGBTQIA+ community—set against a black backdrop.
A text overlay on the flag read: "Don't forget to thank a straight person this month for your existence." The comment was accompanied by two peace emojis.
This Instagram story came on the heels of a tweet by Bieber Sr. where he opined, "We need to celebrate families. U know the reason we're all here! The things this generation glorifies is unbelievable!"
It's interesting to note that Justin Bieber's family is known to celebrate non-conventional values.
The contentious post attracted a flurry of critical responses, especially considering Justin Bieber's high-profile status. Commenters took the opportunity to chastise Jeremy for his offensive remarks.
One respondent pointedly reminded him of his privileged status, writing, "Don't forget to thank Justin Bieber this month for your paid bills."
Another critic was equally blunt, stating, "No one is going to thank a straight person for the existence of the LGBTQ+ community. We've always existed, y'all just never knew. Stop spreading dumb s---. You're a father of one of the biggest pop stars. Act like one."
Numerous comments branded Bieber Sr. a "deadbeat dad" and an "absent father" while accusing him of hypocrisy.
An Instagram user shot back, "You are not in a position to judge ANYONE…so…..HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!" punctuating their comment with a string of rainbow emojis. Others joined the wave of criticism by simply posting Pride flag emojis to make their stance clear.
At present, Justin Bieber's representative has yet to issue a comment regarding the controversy, as noted by RadarOnline.com.