Critics say ‘Thank U, Next’ to Ariana Grande for UK pride headliner

US pop star Ariana Grande has denied she is cashing in on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) community by headlining a UK pride festival amid a debate over whether straight people should take on such roles. The chart-topping artist is due to headline Manchester Pride in northern England this August, but the news has attracted negative attention with some arguing the slot should have been given to a LGBT+ performer instead.

“I respect Ariana Grande as an artist but a true LGBTQIA+ ally would recognise their privilege and use that platform to lift up artists from the community,” user @linke_lily wrote on Twitter. In another tweet that has since been shared over 16,000 times, user @raininjulyvinyl wrote: “Ariana headlining pride when she’s straight ... and doubling the price of tickets. Kinda smells like exploita - tion of the LGBT community to me.” Grande, who became the most followed woman on Instagram this week, said she had no control over ticket prices, and was not “claiming to be the hero of the community or the face of the LGBTQ rights movement.”

“I want to celebrate and support this community, regardless of my identity or how people label me. And also I wanna visit a city that means so much to me,” the “Thank U, Next” singer wrote on Twitter late Wednesday in response to the growing backlash. Grande was performing in Manchester in May 2017 during the European leg of a tour when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb as Grande’s fans left a packed Manchester Arena. Some of the 22 people killed in the attack were teens or young girls.