Culture

Cassandro star Bad Bunny addresses queer-baiting accusations

By Sam Damshenas

18th September 2023

Bad Bunny has addressed claims that he uses gender-queer fashion as a form of “queer-baiting”.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer opened up about fashion and gender, revealing that his use of skirts and dresses in photoshoots and at events has resulted in an “endless number” of “sexist and homophobic” comments.

Bad Bunny acknowledged that he’s targeted “without being homosexual, for dressing like that”: “Maybe the queer person suffers more, but it is not like I put on a skirt and go out and they say ‘Look, how cool.’ They’re going to attack me with all their force anyway.”

The 29-year-old continued to stress: “You don’t know the reasons why a person is wearing that. You weren’t in his mind when he decided to put on a skirt or a blouse. You don’t know what’s inside him, what’s in his heart. You do it because you want to and it makes you feel good and it makes you feel happy.”

The most streamed artist of 2022 on Spotify, Bad Bunny has been outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights on various occasions throughout his career.

From shutting down homophobes on Twitter to donning full drag in his music videos, as well as raising awareness of violence against the trans community, Bad Bunny has consistently used his platform to show up for the LGBTQ+ community.

As a result of his activism, Bad Bunny received the Vanguard Award at the 34th GLAAD Media Awards. Ricky Martin, who presented him with the honour, hailed him as an “icon for the Latin queer community”.

“Thank you to the whole LGBTQ community for embracing me; for loving me the way they do and for looking up to me,” Bad Bunny said in his speech.

“I believe that following my heart has brought me to where I am; following my heart has brought me here receiving this award, surrounded by such beautiful people. I believe that when you have a good heart and you give love, that’s what you receive back.

“That’s what I’ve wanted to do all this time with my music. When you act in good faith and with your heart, that’s what happens: you’re brought to beautiful places, in front of beautiful people and I’m grateful for where I am. I’m grateful for the people that love me today.”

Later this year, Bad Bunny will star in Cassandro, Prime Video’s biopic about Saúl Armendáriz, aka Cassandro (played by Gael García Bernal), the first openly gay wrestler in Mexico’s Lucha Lubre.

Also starring Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl Castillo and El Hijo del Santo, Bad Bunny will play Bernal’s on-screen love interest Felipe.

Back in April, the star said it was “cabrón” [translated to “badass”] for his first kiss in a movie to be with a man. Speaking with Time Magazine, he joked: “That’s the penalty I get for being with so many women during my life. If you’re acting, you’re being someone you’re not. That’s the fun part.

“So when they asked me for that, I said, ‘Yes, I’m here for whatever you want.’ I think it was very cool; I didn’t feel uncomfortable. It’s part of acting. It’s part of what I’m doing.”

Since its first screening at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the wrestling biopic has earned rave reviews from critics.

Ahead of its release this Friday (22 September), Prime Video dropped a new set of clips – including a steamy moment between Bernal and Bad Bunny’s characters.