Justin Bieber's father, Jeremy, is under fire after making and subsequently defending a contentious anti-LGBTQ post on social media, Radar Online has reported.
The celebration of Pride month, commencing June 1, involves not just recognition of the LGBTQ+ community, but also honoring activists who tirelessly advocate for gender and sexual orientation equality.
Jeremy Bieber sparked controversy when he leveraged the commencement of Pride to suggest to his Instagram followers that they should "thank a straight person" for their "existence."
Outrage was immediate following Jeremy's Instagram story on June 6, which depicted the Pride flag accompanied by text stating, "Don't forget to thank a straight person this month for your existence."
Despite originating on Instagram, where the post drew widespread condemnation, Jeremy prolonged the drama by shifting the conversation to Twitter.
Following his controversial posts, Jeremy attempted to rectify the situation, but his past actions continued to overshadow his intentions.
"I didn't anticipate being thrust into this political arena, but I'm being compelled into it…Insensitive maybe, but I'm not a bigot!" Jeremy defended himself on Twitter early Friday, punctuating his tweet with hashtags "buckle up" and "truths."
A few hours later, Jeremy attempted a shift in tone, aiming to convey an apology.
"My post was intended to acknowledge families, nothing more! Before you assert that I abandoned my son, let's move past that! It's a tired narrative being promoted! It's absurd and untrue. My approach might have been inelegant, but it was neither hateful nor homophobic...," read Jeremy's follow-up tweet.
Despite his insistence that his only goal was to "acknowledge families," both Bieber fans and critics were not appeased, and the pop star's father only seemed to deepen his predicament.
"I adore my gay brother. Love whoever you want; that's your business, not 'mine.' My issue lies with the aggressive takeover of our cities and schools by the LGBTQ community. This is a shared concern among many. Everyone and everyone's opinion has a place! That doesn't equate to hate!" Jeremy stated in another tweet.
Reactions to Jeremy's tweets were swift, with accusations of homophobia and hypocrisy flooding his comment section.
One user retorted, "'My brother is gay and I adore him' isn't the protective shield you think it is." Critics also questioned Jeremy's portrayal of a "hostile takeover," calling his stance "tone deaf."
"Hostile takeover? You're referring to being allowed to exist publicly, not just at home. In essence, #RepresentationMatters, and any representation that doesn't center on you is perceived as hostile," another user wrote.
"Choosing this hill to die on is like choosing to die on a piece of driftwood out in the ocean. This is not the way to go," media personality Richard Lewis weighed in.