As if bloggers/vloggers haven’t made enough headlines this week, especially as it relates to royals, another one has stirred controversy simply for receiving recognition from a charitable organization started by the one and only Beyoncé. Let’s take a trip down the slippery slope of stan-dom, shall we?
BeyGOOD, a foundation created by Beyoncé in 2014, honored Justin James — known online as “The King of Reads” — for “being an advocate for and activist in the Black LGBTQ+ community.”
The Twitter account for the foundation posted a picture of him alongside Kyemah McEntyre, a fashion designer, artist and visionary, under a quote from Jay-Z reading, “I will not lose/for even in defeat/there is a valuable/lesson learned.”
Kyemah, you continue to inspire us with your dedication to sustainable fashion and your commitment to the community. Thank you for choosing to be proudly yourself.
Thank you Justin James, aka King of Reads, for being an advocate for and activist in the Black LGBTQ+ community. pic.twitter.com/Ai1WXnZJwV
— BeyGOOD (@BeyGood) February 23, 2022
Naturally, James welcomed the recognition.
Not Beyoncé’s team posting me on Instagram pic.twitter.com/xvIFfZ8zDq
— TheKingofReads (@TheKingofReads) February 23, 2022
Others, however, were not.
Many of the Beyhive expressed their dismay or outrage over the foundation’s choice, pointing to past criticisms James had made about the foundation’s creator and her family.
It’s safe to say many of her biggest supporters took issue with the charity’s choice.
HIM??? A quick Twitter search would’ve told you most of his tweets about @Beyonce are negative. pic.twitter.com/4qfViQdjGj
— Râshâd (@Dang_Rashad) February 23, 2022
He’s literally talked bad about Bey before and y’all are highlighting him on Beys foundation…
— BeyBAD 🍥 (@DNTHURTYOURS3LF) February 23, 2022
That goofy Kingofreads guy literally called Ms. Tina antiblack. AND HAS BEEN ANTI BEYONCÉ!!!! Girl WHAT IS THIS?!??? https://t.co/MGjphStoFk
— Malory Archer’s whiskey glass (@charmdiddy) February 23, 2022
That goofy Kingofreads guy literally called Ms. Tina antiblack. AND HAS BEEN ANTI BEYONCÉ!!!! Girl WHAT IS THIS?!??? https://t.co/MGjphStoFk
— Malory Archer’s whiskey glass (@charmdiddy) February 23, 2022
the 'king of reads' who has been degrading bey and her family for years🤮 https://t.co/0sTJeGp30v pic.twitter.com/WGGRUXOZEI
— ivy szn (@longmayBEYreign) February 23, 2022
… I was gonna refrain from commenting but @BeyGood can we do better at vetting honorees? Just in the past year, he’s done harm to Black Women creators, on TOP of being nasty and negative in general to Beyoncé. We couldn’t find ANY other LGBTQ+ advocates? … okay https://t.co/PO3cKPwGQI
— Justice for Zendaya’s Ankles (@JayTheeA) February 23, 2022
Some also pointed out to past remarks about trans women and other controversial statements he has made in social media posts or videos on YouTube and TikTok.
Critics pointed to this as evidence that James wasn’t deserving of recognition for LGBTQ activism.
There were some commenters coming to his defense though…
Was him making fun of trans women good for the LGBTQ community?
— Râshâd (@Dang_Rashad) February 23, 2022
What did King of Reads (the guy you honored for being a rep for LGBTQ people) see after making fun of trans women? pic.twitter.com/lcZiu9nl1E
— Râshâd (@Dang_Rashad) February 24, 2022
Artists’ foundations really gotta hire a stan or two because there is no way in hell BEYGOOD should be honoring justin james for all the negative shit he’s said about her. Plus, how does any foundation honor someone for LGBTQ+ activism when they make transphobic comments? https://t.co/KcIAgnMPvL pic.twitter.com/8oFCf1og0I
— Dan (@dannah__montana) February 23, 2022
But did you miss the last tweet about transphobia
— Dan (@dannah__montana) February 23, 2022
Maybe it shows she’s big enough to look past whether a person likes her &focus on causes/issues she supports. Beyoncé is a mature adult who knows she’s not everyone’s cup of ☕️&is okay w/it. One should be able to recognize the wks of others independent of their affinity for them.
— Naturally Phenomenal (@Mtntop_Climber) February 23, 2022
…Or at least had theories as to why this choice was made.
What if Bey set all of this up for y'all to drag him today? 🤔🤣😩 pic.twitter.com/dDABTa42LJ
— Ken 🥂 (@OmgKenActually) February 23, 2022
Their anger is so weird to me. Like you can love B and still call her out/ hold her accountable. Idk I love 🐝 but I also agree with King of reads takes on some of the things she does. https://t.co/p1XMaPcfwf
— PUPPET MASTERR?!?! (@the_one_scammer) February 23, 2022
No more king of reads…….. pic.twitter.com/fBKXBYEHz2
— Mr. Hawkins (@geektify) February 23, 2022
At the least, James himself tweeted through it, expressing that he was uninterested in the noise.
— TheKingofReads (@TheKingofReads) February 23, 2022
BeyGOOD also posted a tweet, including a quote from Barack Obama, which some suggest was posted in response to the criticism.
Either way, the stans are not okay.
— BeyGOOD (@BeyGood) February 23, 2022
Idk, but I am very protective of Beyoncé and uncomfortable with someone who literally called her a piece of trash. I don’t think that we’re being unreasonable here. I am very proud of all of you guys and for who Beyoncé is and the impact that she’s made on the world and our lives
— Taylorbold. ¹³ •᷄ɞ•᷅ (@TaylorBold) February 23, 2022
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