Liam Payne Misses The Mark Trying To Rehab Image, Says Gay Rumors "Make Me Mad"
Liam Payne’s recent interview with Attitude magazine dropped over the weekend, and it unfortunately won’t be doing anything for anyone who thought it may rehab the One Direction star’s alleged homophobic image.
The 22-year-old posed for the magazine after a rough year during which several public comments he’d made were deemed homophobic. In the interview, Payne’s lukewarm attitude toward LGBTs shone through in questions about the band’s gay fanbase, the homoerotic fan art posted online, and cheeky rumors about various bandmates being romantically involved.
“When the [same-sex marriage] law changed in the U.S. there were loads of rainbow flags flying at our shows, but I think that was mainly because people think of the Louis and Harry thing (that they’re secret lovers) which is absolutely nuts and drives me insane,” he said, referring to “Larry Stylinson,” the portmanteau fans use for the fantasy couple.
Payne insisted he’s not “jealous” of the attention Larry Stylinson gets, adding, “It’s like when you know the ins and outs of what is going on with people it’s just annoying when it’s so stupid. It becomes like a conspiracy or like a cult, the people who watch them and think that every move they make is a gesture toward them being together and I know it’s just not true and it makes me mad.”
Attitude didn’t directly ask Payne if he is “homophobic,” though he did provide the usual “I have gay friends” defense.
When the magazine noted Payne has “grown up with gay people all [his] life,” Payne responded, “Yeah, I have. I have a couple of older gay friends who have been in my life for years, and they were hilarious when I was growing up, squeezing my bum and going ‘Ooooh!’ But that’s the relationship we had. I didn’t mind. A lot of my friends are gay and I don’t think anything about it.”
Payne says if he were “gay for a day,” he would date Louis, his “best mate.”
Unfortunately, after this interview, it looks like that’s about the most pro-gay quote you’re ever going to get out of Liam Payne. But at least he's still nice to look at.
