Anastacia unashamedly fired five team members for ‘disgusting’ homophobic remarks

‘I feel more important when the gay community thinks I’m cool,’ Anastacia declares proudly, having well and truly earned her badge of LGBTQ+ icon. But the I’m Outta Love hitmaker isn’t just an ally on paper—it’s something she’s been putting into practice for decades, both professionally and behind closed doors.

Because of this, she’ll be honoured with the Global Recognition Award at the first-ever Metro Pride Awards this week – hosted by Rylan Clark – in celebration of her commitment to the community. Speaking to me over Zoom amid a frantic press day, she makes it clear it’s an accolade that means a lot to her, recounting times when she’s willingly made sacrifices to protect her relationships with the queer people she cherishes.

‘At one time in my life, I fired five members of my band because they spoke disgustingly over a WhatsApp chat, and I felt it was inappropriate, so we fired ’em! Not worried about that. Bam! All in one day,’ she recalls with a sassy tone. But that’s not all, as the star also doesn’t hesitate to get out the scissors and cut off anyone whose political stance endangers those who are vulnerable.

‘It’s crazy what’s happening in America, and it’s like, did this really happen? Are you kidding me?’, she asks incredulously, reflecting on the reelection of Donald Trump. ‘I have given up friends who didn’t vote because of the other friends I have in my life. You’re going to vote for our current president, knowing full well that my family and friends are being marginalised, and could get wiped off the face of the earth? Yet you like me as a person, and you say you like my friends? Well, you need to just lose my number.

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‘There isn’t a bargaining tool at this point. We’re done; there’s no forgiving.’. The Left Outside Alone vocalist stands firm on her point, stating that much of the ‘ignorance’ depicted in today’s media stems purely from ‘fear-mongering’.

‘It’s not fact-based. Once you get people to actually talk about it, they have no clue what they’re talking about,’ she laughs, proceeding to throw her support behind the trans community amid the onslaught of attacks their rights and freedoms face.

On how she enacts her allyship in everyday life, Anastacia explains: ‘When somebody has a comment to make, I’m more inquisitive as to why they feel that way. What brought them to not really think trans people need to live?. ‘I try to dig a little deeper and see if anyone is saveable in this conversation and if I can move the needle a little bit. But if somebody’s not moveable, it’s like, we don’t need you anyway.

‘But I do feel that a little bit of knowledge could go a long way. I’ll do whatever I can to try and raise awareness for someone who didn’t know any better because they didn’t, for example, have a gay person in their school. ‘I’m like, how many trans people do you know in your life? They’re not ruining you; you don’t know any! So why are you worried about trans people?’.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Anastacia praises her ‘exploratory’ upbringing, having been raised by Broadway actress Diane Hurley, who was ‘forward-thinking’ in her attitudes on life. ‘My mom was not someone who was conventional, shall we say? I had a very open and exploratory childhood with gay and Black, and freedom, and all of this reality.

‘It’s a very normal philosophy for me, but I know that isn’t true for the [LGBTQ+] community.’. On why allyship matters to her, she’s comfortable admitting that she’s ‘not marginalised,’ nor does she know how it feels to be in the same way as queer folk.

However, she surrounds herself with people from all walks of life and sees firsthand how ‘fear and ignorance’ results in ‘isolation and rejection’ for many. ‘And I don’t think that is something that’s acceptable,’ she asserts. ‘So I’d rather not be in somebody’s orbit if they feel differently.’.

Anastacia has no problem wearing her ally cap ‘all the time,’ hence she struggles to pick out one specific example of a time when her voice has been most impactful. Instead, her viewpoint is simple—and comes with an incredible pun. ‘We all have to be supporting each other, especially in these times. The lesbians can’t hate on the gays, the gays can’t hate on the trans… we all have to stand strong because we are all one community trying to just be who we are.

‘It’s people who love differently, that’s all it is. You don’t have to love like fricking Cinderella! Some people just like Cinderfellas!’. The Metro Pride Awards take place on February 26. Nicola Coughlan. Luke Evans. RuPaul. Russell Tovey. Jonathan Bailey.