Almost a dozen HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ organizations want to have a meeting with DaBaby following the homophobic comments he made during a Rolling Loud performance last month.
On Wednesday (Aug. 4), 11 organizations, including GLAAD and Black AIDS Institute, released an open letter inviting the North Carolina rapper to a private, off-the-record meeting to educate him about HIV/AIDS epidemic and why the homophobic comments he uttered at the 2021 Rolling Loud Miami Festival last month were misinformed and damaging.
“We, the undersigned, represent organizations leading the fight to prevent HIV and provide care and treatment for people living with HIV, especially Black LGBTQ people across the Southern United States," the letter begins. "We heard your inaccurate and harmful comments at Rolling Loud and have read your Instagram apology. However, at a time when HIV continues to disproportionately impact Black Americans and queer and transgender people of color, a dialogue is critical. We must address the miseducation about HIV, expressed in your comments, and the impact it has on various communities.”
Elsewhere in the letter, the organizations believe DaBaby could be a worthy advocate that can help spread accurate information about HIV to the Black community.
"You can be a powerful and influential voice, especially across your home base in the South, where the Black community’s needs are notoriously under-represented across every public spectrum,” the letter states. “We encourage you to share this information with your fans and followers, and become an agent of truth and change."
The organizations also suggested that other music artists become advocates for HIV and LGBTQ acceptance.
“Several artists and platforms have spoken up against you. While we appreciate their stand, we also invite them to take action and to do their part to end HIV by supporting organizations like ours serving people who are Black, LGBTQ and/or living with HIV,” the statement continues.
The letter comes as DaBaby was dropped from several music festivals for his homophobic remarks. The 2019 XXL Freshman issued a second apology directly to the LGBTQ community, expressing remorse for the "hurtful and triggering" comments he made towards that community as well as people with HIV and AIDS.
While on the Rolling Loud Miami stage on July 25, DaBaby said these words during his performance: "If you didn't show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexual transmitted diseases that'll make you die in two to three weeks, put your cell phone light in the air. Ladies, if your pussy smells like water, put a cell phone light in the air. Fellas, if you ain't suckin' dick in the parking lot, put your cell phone lights in the air."
Since then, DaBaby has received backlash from many people on social media as well as music artists like Elton John, Madonna, Chika, Questlove, Dua Lipa and Demi Lovato. However, T.I., Boosie BadAzz, NLE Choppa and Polo G have expressed their support for the rapper.
GLAAD also shared the same letter to DaBaby and additional information on their Instagram account. Check it out below.