In the wake of the Orlando shooting, a handful of entertainers have released statements announcing that this horrific attack on the LGBTQ community has inspired them to come forwards as queer themselves. Montreal indie-pop darling Béatrice Martin (better known as Coeur de Pirate) is the latest; in an open letter to Vice, she explains the circumstances that led to her self-acceptance and now her public acknowledgement of her sexuality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p-9U53txWQ
In her statement, Martin begins by explaining how shaken up she’s been by not only the Orlando shooting, but the death of Voice singer Christina Grimmie and the Bataclan attacks in Paris last year – a trio of tragic events that have cast a dark shadow over the live music industry as a whole. She explains that while the motivations behind these tragedies are varied and complex, she was particularly disturbed by the Orlando shooting’s implications for the LGBTQ community, and began to consider what it meant to be publicly out. She found herself inspired:
“I thought it was wonderful: why hide who you are? In a world where, in certain countries, being gay is still punishable by death, it’s important to take a stand. The internet is a beautiful place sometimes. That’s when I started feeling like a hypocrite. The whole situation made me wonder if I was considering myself honest. I had been going through many changes as well. As a public figure, I’ve always wondered what my position should be about my private life: what should I say or not say? Sure, it’s my “private” life, I can say whatever I want, but truthfully there is some good in being honest. This is not just for me but for the people that consider me someone who is cool and awesome. At least, I try to be.”
Martin goes on to describe her early crushes on girls and the internalized homophobia that kept her from expressing those feelings. She also namechecks Sailor Moon as a root, which… come on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG9lWpZ0B8Y
She explains that recent events including the Orlando shooting and antri-trans bathroom bills led her to feel like a hypocrite for her silence – “That is why I’m coming out as queer today; I can no longer be scared of what people might think about me. I can’t be scared that someone will stop listening to my music, or that parents might not want their kids listening to me because of the fact that I want to love whoever I want to love. I’m coming out for my daughter who needs to learn that love knows no race, religion, gender or orientation. Even though the family that she knew in the very beginning won’t be the same, she deserves all of the love that she needs or wants. I’m coming out for the victims that lost their lives because they wanted to celebrate who they truly were.”
