Beyoncé’s dad defends her after LGBTQ fans slam concert in ‘homophobic dictatorship’

Beyoncé may be facing backlash and accusations of hypocrisy from her LGBTQ fans for reportedly getting paid $24 million to perform exclusively Saturday night in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which outlaws same-sex relations and imprisons people if convicted.

But Queen Bey’s father, Matthew Knowles, is sticking up for her, telling TMZ that she put on an incredible show. He said Beyoncé did what she does best, which is to bring people “closer,” TMZ said.

Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, agreed that her daughter “killed it” in her first live concert in four years, when she was caught by a TMZ reporter Monday after returning from Dubai. But Tina Knowles said she wouldn’t talk about the controversy over her daughter’s decision to make big money by performing at the star-studded private launch for Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal hotel.

While cameras officially were banned during the show, footage of the spectacle nonetheless leaked out on social media, showing the 41-year-old singer propelled 16 feet in the air while fire breathed around her. Beyoncé played a 19-song set, with her oldest daughter, 11-year-old Blue Ivy, joining her on stage to sing “Brown Skin Girl,” from the soundtrack for Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King.”

Beyoncé performing “Drunk in Love” in Dubai pic.twitter.com/srqcxfJzPR

— thequeenbey (@thequeenbey___) January 22, 2023

The weekend was billed as an all-expenses-paid luxury getaway in Dubai for journalists and influencers, with the likes of Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne and Rebel Wilson in an attendance, The Telegraph and Stereogum reported.

But Stereogum and other publications noted that Beyoncé’s set didn’t include any songs from her highly acclaimed 2022 album “Renaissance.” That album was purported to be “an LGBTQ+ battle cry” that paid homage to the Black and queer pioneers of disco, funk and house music, Celia Walden of The Telegraph wrote. In her mission statement for the album, Beyoncé said she wanted “to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom.”

But all the “queer euphoria” exhibited in “Renaissance” felt silenced by Beyoncé’s decision to take the $24 million paycheck to perform in Dubai, Walden said. The online fury poured in. U.K. based LGBTQ campaigner Peter Tatchell shared his disappointment on Twitter that the singer performed in a “homophobic dictatorship.” In “ditching her own progressive values,” he said “she put a money-grabbing pay (check) before human rights.”

#Beyonce performs in #Dubai‘s homophobic dictatorship. Ditching her own progressive values, she put a money-grabbing pay cheque before human rights. And sang no songs from Renaissance album, to appease anti-LGBT+ regime that has death penalty for gay sex? https://t.co/djttv4eoDH

— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) January 23, 2023

Bev Jackson, co-founder of LGB Alliance, also said that Beyoncé’s performance “casts a shadow over her support for lesbians and gay people,” The Telegraph reported.

One conflicted fan tweeted: “I love Bey, but you can’t release a statement album like ‘Renaissance,’ celebrating LGBTQ+ community and then perform in a country that criminalises and kills LGBTQ+. I love her still but she deserves to hear about it.”

But many noted that Beyoncé isn’t the only artist to profit from proclaiming solidarity with the LGBTQ community, only to then accept generous paychecks to perform in wealthy Middle Eastern countries countries that have been accused of various human rights abuses. Lady Gaga, Madonna and Elton John also have performed in Dubai.

Another celebrity chooses money over human rights. So much for other lives mattering. https://t.co/vrAXL7qCWF

— Tse Tse Fly Middle East (@tse_tsefly) January 23, 2023