MNEK, Munroe Bergdorf & Dotty On LGBTQIA+ Love In The Mainstream | Beats By Dr. Dre Informal Ep 4

28 April 2021 - Press release

Beats by Dr. Dre’s INFORMAL series brings together leading UK artists and influential names to discuss trending topics important to Black British communities. Hosted by Dotty, Apple Music's Lead Cultural Curator and UK Black Music and Apple Music Host, the program aims to represent the authentic voices of the UK and beyond in culture. The thought-provoking conversations not only reflect wider discussions and issues taking place in the world today, but are also personal to the individuals and their experiences. Recorded on 31st March 2021 via video conferencing, Dotty speaks to model and activist Munroe Bergdorf and recording artist MNEK about being role models in the Black queer community and the impact of Black queer culture.

Episode 4 - Key Quotes

Dotty

I sometimes think we have a duty to live loudly so that future generations get to be quiet, they get to just exist and they can just be trans quietly, or they can be gay quietly, or queer quietly, because we were loud enough about it when change needed to come. But I think visibility plays an important part in that because, I didn’t have many people that I could look to when I was a young, black, gay teenage girl.
It fascinates me when people say you can’t show kids gay because they’ll want to be gay if they see gay, they will flock to it like a light. And I think I grew up, all I saw was the princess going for the prince, and I was never on the prince, so it’s funny how everybody wants to bash the queer agenda until it’s time to be inspired.

Munroe

I just try to be as authentic as possible, and remind people that a role model is not a perfect human being. It’s a fully formed person that is trying to do their best, and I make mistakes just like everybody else, but I like to think that it’s really about how you acknowledge those mistakes and grow from them.
I think it’s about changing the language, and saying that we’re just pushing an agenda, of course that’s what we’re doing. It’s the agenda that we don’t want future generations of queer youth to hate themselves like we did when we were kids.
It’s really important that we teach kids the way that the world is and not just the way that the world is, but that the world can progress, and realistically, the world is not full of only straight people, and it’s okay if you’re gay. So to say that we can’t teach kids about same-sex relationships because it will make kids gay, so what if it does? And it doesn’t but if it did, then being gay is not a bad thing, it’s just like saying being straight is not a bad thing, it’s not a bad thing it’s just the way that it is.
I can’t speak for you two, but I had to work through so much shame with regards to my sexuality, with regards to my gender identity and my race because I consistently told those things weren’t beautiful, that those things weren’t as valid, that they weren’t acceptable, that they’re not something I should be proud of, and it’s only during my early to mid 20s that I started to figure out, actually, all of this is a projection from other people and there’s nothing wrong with me. But it’s only really now that people are starting to say that in the mainstream.
They are upholding an agenda like we said, and it’s really important that we teach kids the way that the world is and not just the way that the world is, but that the world can progress, and realistically, the world is not full of only straight people, and it’s okay if you’re gay. So to say that we can’t teach kids about same-sex relationships because it will make kids gay, so what if it does?
But if we teach kids how to love themselves, and how to generate self empowerment, then there’s less need to form all of these packs, and we can see difference as something that is unifying rather than something that is separates us.
So we need to educate, I think education is power, once you’re educated and empowered, whatever someone says to you, it’s water off a ducks back. I’m not going to make myself feel uncomfortable because someone is uncomfortable about me. That’s a you problem, that’s not a me problem.

MNEK

I felt the need to be this martyr, or this person of great importance to the black queer community, but I think it’s more like, I don’t know, I feel like my actions do that more. I think when I’m being myself, and I’m not worried about the way it looks, I think a lot of people find a lot of comfort in that.
A lot of people think that homosexuality is a very caucasian mindset, which is crazy, which is actual lunacy. It goes and spreads across everybody. The conversations I’ve had with certain people who look like me but maybe don’t live like me about homosexuality have lacked nuance, and have lacked real understanding.
It’s great when songs are able to communicate with people, but then when me, myself, me and my existence is able to communicate with people where they feel compelled to message me and be like, thank you for just being you, I think your songs are great, but thank you for being you. As a result of the commercial success I’ve had from the masses, I would sometimes forget that and think about, okay but I’m not selling a million, trillion records, so is it reaching the people? But when you go to a concert and you see a black gay kid, and they’ve found solace in what you’re doing, it’s a diff

Submit news or a press release

Want to add your news or press release? Email Paul or Kevin

Two week FREE trial