Everyone has heard of One Direction and if they say they haven't they either live under a rock or are lying. Contrary to popular belief One Direction's fan base isn't just made up of preteen girls who do nothing but scream, they actually have an older fan base, with ages ranging from 18 to 30 and spanning every and all genders.
Since they have so many fans from all walks of life it isn't surprising that one member of the band, Liam Payne, has done a solo magazine cover for Attitude mag which is a well known LGBTQA+ magazine. This would have been the perfect time for Liam to show his appreciation and support for all of the fans they have that identify as somewhere in the LGBTQA+ spectrum. Unfortunately, it didn't really turn out like that.
As a fan of One Direction myself, I'm pretty up to date on all of the different fan projects that people on twitter and Tumblr start. One of the most important ones that thousands of fans participate in at every concert is Rainbow Direction, and during this interview Liam totally missed its actual purpose.
Rainbow Direction, to my knowledge, first started at the beginning of this year when the band kicked off their year long On The Road Again Tour. In past years many LGBTQA+ fans have been bullied and ridiculed on social media by other fans for being the way they are. The younger, immature fan base is known for being homophobic and transphobic, making fans who identify that way feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.
So Rainbow Direction was born so those fans could take back control. The meaning of the project is to dress in rainbow, bring a rainbow flag or sign or anything rainbow to show support for the LGBTQA+ community at shows, whether you're an ally or an actual LGBTQA+ member.
When Liam was asked about marriage equality in America he brought up Rainbow Direction, and totally missed the point. Liam is quoted as saying, "When the [gay marriage] law changed in the U.S. there were loads of rainbow flags flying at our shows, but I think that was mainly because people think of the Louis and Harry thing, which is absolutely nuts and drives me insane," Liam says in the interview. "It's like when you know the ins and outs of what's going on with people, it's just annoying when it's so stupid...It becomes like a conspiracy or a cult" (quote via eonline). The Louis and Harry thing Liam is referring to is the fan-created theory that his fellow band members are secretly in a relationship.
This fan theory wasn't once mentioned in the question or even relevant to the flags in the audience, Liam brought it up all on his own. Not only does he miss the importance of the rainbow flags flying at the shows but he insults a big group of the fan base by saying them believing in something is cult-like. According to Liam, it's cult-like to privately believe two members of a band are in a relationship but completely okay to stand outside of a hotel for hours waiting and stalking band members to meet them. I mean he could have at least answered the poor interviewer's question before he insulted their fan base.
Liam covering a gay magazine could have been ground-breaking for the band and really helped them make their LGBTQA+ fan base feel more welcome and accepted. Instead, it just turned into a big problem for Liam who is now receiving backlash from a majority of their fans.
What do you think? Was Liam wrong in slandering fans? Let me know in the comments below!
