During the meeting, the North Carolina rapper is said to be 'genuinely engaged, apologized for the inaccurate and hurtful comments he made about people living with HIV' at the Rolling Loud festival.
- Sep 1, 2021
AceShowbiz - DaBaby has met with a group of nine U.S. HIV organizations following his controversial comments on LGBTQ+ community and HIV at the Rolling Loud festival earlier this year. The meeting between the "Rockstar" spitter and the black leaders from nine HIV organizations took place on Tuesday, August 31.
Among the organizations were the Black AIDS Institute, GLAAD, National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) and The Normal Anomaly Initiative. In a joint statement, the organizations revealed, "During our meeting, DaBaby was genuinely engaged, apologized for the inaccurate and hurtful comments he made about people living with HIV, and received our personal stories and the truth about HIV and its impact on black and LGBTQ communities with deep respect."
The statement continued, "We appreciate that he openly and eagerly participated in this forum of black people living with HIV, which provided him an opportunity to learn and to receive accurate information."
Prior to the meeting, DaBaby received an open letter from 11 LGBTQIA+ organizations that included Arianna's Center, Black AIDS Institute, GLAAD, The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Prevention Access Campaign, Relationship Unleashed, The 6:52 Project Foundation, and leaders from the Gilead COMPASS Initiative including Southern AIDS Coalition, Emory University, the University of Houston and Wake Forest University.
In the letter, the organizations wrote, "We, the undersigned, represent organizations leading the fight to prevent HIV and provide care and treatment for people living with HIV, especially black LGBTQ people across the Southern United States. We heard your inaccurate and harmful comments at Rolling Loud and have read your Instagram apology."
"However, at a time when HIV continues to disproportionately impact black Americans and queer and transgender people of color, a dialogue is critical. We must address the miseducation about HIV, expressed in your comments, and the impact it has on various communities," the letter continued. "As leaders of organizations directly serving black, LGBTQ, and HIV+ communities, we invite you to a private, off-the-record, virtual discussion with us."
DaBaby angered people when the rapper made disparaging comments on the LGBTQ+ community and those affected by HIV/AIDS during his set at the Rolling Loud festival. The North Carolina rapper then apologized following the backlash, writing, "As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me -- knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance -- has been challenging."
As he acknowledged "the hurtful and triggering comments" he made about the LGBTQ+ community and those affected by HIV/AIDS, DaBaby concluded, "Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important. Love to all."
