Why is being a rapist OK, but being gay is a punishable crime?

Men in society are allowed to commit transgressions — so long as they aren’t homosexual.

Let me entertain you with an allegory.

In 2008, Miley Cyrus — for those of you who don’t know, she is a pop star who came to fame for starring in Disney’s kids show Hannah Montana — was at the height of her tween audience fame. The bubble that she existed in at the time had a morality clause over her — which was to always be a role model to kids.

That year her private email account was hacked by a much older internet troll named Josh Holly. A series of provocative selfies, playful pictures in tubs and risqué images were published. These images were never redistributed by Cyrus before the hacking, by the way.

While this would have been a good time to reprimand an adult pervert for redistributing pornographic material, all of the blame was instead shifted to Cyrus. She was admonished for even having the pictures, threatened with losing her job and being ostracised by society. This was the early days of cancel culture, when the media and society’s mob mentality decided.

While multiple tabloid magazines featuring these stories on Cyrus were being bought by adults, Holly threatened to release more images that he collected over the time. Still, the blame lay on Cyrus with no-one seeing fit to do something about this disturbed man who was so keen on redistributing child pornography.

And they were lapped up like many images are, without the consent of female stars. Often splashed across magazines and newspapers, these images are rated and dissected, mostly for male viewing pleasure, while the women are painted as terrible members of society.

This irony has played itself out in the case of R Kelly, who has been exonerated from public scrutiny. The bubble in which R Kelly lives is one where his crimes have been protected because he is a lucrative star. Yet, shockingly, it is all possible because of his gender.

With a relatable underdog story, occasional bouts of singing gospel and the swagger that has seen many adoring male fans imitate him, R Kelly’s ongoing trial has made him untouchable to passive and committed fans.

However, an interesting twist came out this week. It was revealed that R Kelly had allegedly sexually assaulted a man among the many victims who came out about his history of sexual violence.

Society has never been friendly towards the LGBTQIA+ community, often ridiculing or ostracising them when they aren’t being assaulted or worse — killed. So many celebrities and sports stars have often shied away from coming out or even sharing that they are curious about different gender experiences and sexual fluidity.

The male equivalent of a scandal in the past was often being suspected of being gay or having sexual relations with transgender people. Glossy magazines often had men on the cover simply for their artistry. Tabloid magazine covers only had men on their covers if they got married, if they were the best dressed among their peers or worse — they were the sexiest man alive.

Other than that it was often macabre spiritual or religious beliefs, a public meltdown or suspicion of having a sex change or sexually deviant experience next to it.

This has created a bubble around male stars where they cannot be destroyed no matter what scandal happens to them. Orlando Pirates star Thembinkosi Lorch still is still acclaimed among soccer fans even with an assault case in his name, almost similar to Manchester United returnee Christiano Ronaldo, whose fans still praise and brands still back after his rape case.

A strange approach considering that big brands have always practised restraint in sponsoring LGBTQIA+ athletes. A similar irony exists with the likes of popular American singer Chris Brown who has an onslaught of assault cases that are often swept under the carpet in out-of-court settlements that leave his victims mum.

There is a strange culture in society, an old cancel culture if you will, where being a rapist is OK but being gay is a punishable crime.

In limiting moral compasses to male celebs, we continue to create a culture where they can commit transgressions multiple times without punishment. There has been a trend among many who still play R Kelly’s music, claiming it is too good not to keep blasting whenever they can. The question, however, is will his music still be celebrated if he comes out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community? Because it sure could make a difference if he claims his crimes were a result of sexual suppression.