Pharrell’s ‘New Masculinity’ cover gets called out for queer erasure

On the latest cover of GQ Magazine US, Pharrell is the cover star of the "New Masculinity" issue which has received backlash from the LGBTQI+ community.  

When it comes to discussions about gender expression and dismantling gender roles in relation to masculinity there's been a shift to breaking down toxic masculinity.

Prominent figures in Hollywood such as Billy Porter, Ezra Miller, Jonathan Van Ness and Sam Smith have, in different ways, brought to the forefront the discussion of gender expression with regards to clothing . 

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@Pharrell covers GQ's New Masculinity issue, an exploration of identity, culture, and style in 2019. Read the cover story and see all the photos at the link in bio. Photographed by @micaiahcarter, styled by @mobolajidawodu.

A post shared by GQ(@gq) on Oct 14, 2019 at 5:00am PDT

Following the release of the cover, many members of the queer community felt that using Pharrell as the cover star for a conversation about masculinity was tone deaf and spoke to queer erasure. 

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillyPorter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillyPorter

— Jason (One Piece is my fav) (@EscaflowneClown)

Many user also wondered why Billy Porter wasn't used since he's been making waves recently for wearing dresses and clothes usually associated with women on the red carpet.