Young people seeking portrayals of open, equal relationships in media can identify with Larry Stylinson and these kinds of LGBTQIA ships. When both partners are the same gender, both partners have equal power. “Larry Stylinson” neutralizes the idea of a patriarchal relationship, in which a girl has more perceived power than a girl in a relationship, according to Coffee + Stink blogger Gretchen Kast. “Fan platforms have become a safe and open space for fans to practice their sexuality and discuss it in a comfortable and happy manner,” said gender studies student Alex Vandermaas-Peeler. Fans have found fandoms a safe place to express their sexuality without being open or publically shamed for it. Not only is One Direction having a personal impact for LGBTQIA fans but the fandom culture plays an important role in the revival of the feminist movement. One Direction is the biggest band in the world, and him saying gender isn’t important in love is huge for anyone who identifies as LGBT.”
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His style and general upkeep isn’t always super masculine, and its’ refreshing. “Harry Styles’ general femininity is empowering. I feel comfortable reading and writing fan fiction in which they’re together, because I know they’ll never see it,” said Lee Buono, an Elon University junior who identifies as non-binary.Īccording to Buono, Harry Styles’ effeminate appearance is especially empowering to non-binary individuals.
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“Because One Direction is so large, it feels almost safe to ship them. “Larry Stylinson” is even being added to the dictionary. According to UK’s “The Mirror,” Tomlinson’s tweet, “Always in my heart is the most retweeted and favorite tweet in history, surpassing Obama’s reelection in November 2012.
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Affectionately called “Larry Stylinson,” they are the most popular ship in the world. LGTBQIA fans have a long-standing tradition of “shipping” (or supporting a perceived relationship between two people, either fictionalized or real) Styles and Tomlinson. His t-shirt could have been an outward show of support of his band mate, Tim Cook, and the LGBTQIA community at large. Louis Tomlinson stepped out in the London streets, donning a shirt with a rainbow Apple logo a few days after Apple CEO Tim Cook came out as a gay man in front of an international audience. Six days after the infamous “Not that important” interview. During another interview, he told bandmate Niall Horan, “Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it” in reference to Horan hypothetically dating a boy. He spoke out against Westboro Baptist Church when they picked outside one of the band’s venues. He once wore a Michael Sam jersey in concert in support of the first openly gay NFL player. Styles’ comment was not the first incident, just one of many. And with millions of fans worldwide, One Direction supporters are becoming a force to be reckoned with. While most people perceive Directioners as a mob of hysterical, heterosexual teenage girls, the LGBTQIA community is bigger and more involved in the One Direction fandom than the mass media might think.
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One part of the One Direction fandom was nonplussed by the comment - the LGBTQIA supporters. Was one Direction’s most famous womanizer coming out as bisexual or gay? Social media websites immediately went wild with speculation. With a side-glance at his band mate, Styles shrugged and responded: “Not that important." Then, the interview asked a common question: what traits do the boys look for in a girl? “Female commented Payne with a joking smile. It started as a typical interview at Sugarscape for Harry Styles and Liam Payne, two of the members of the all-star boy-band One Direction, as they promoted their newest album FOUR.