UPDATE – August 4 – a 17-year-old has been arrested for the stabbing of O’Shae Sibley.
(Original story)
This week, Beyoncé honored O’Shae Sibley, who lost his life while dancing to her music at a Brooklyn gas station.
Sibley, 28, was tragically targeted and killed on August 1. A pro dancer and choreographer, Sibley was voguing, a dance style from NYC’s Black queer ballroom scene, when he was halted by strangers who objected to his dancing. Sibley and Otis Pena stood up to attackers hurling homophobic insults at them. In fact, Pena told The New York Times that Sibley bravely told the group, “Stop saying that. There is nothing wrong with being gay.”
Subsequently, during the altercation, a knife was pulled out, and Sibley got stabbed while Pena tried to step in. Beyoncé heard about the attack and showed her support on her site with a black and white message reading: “REST IN POWER O’SHEA SIBLEY.” “They murdered him because he’s gay, because he stood up for his friends,” Pena said in a Facebook post. “His name was O’Shae and you all killed him. You all murdered him right in front of me.”
Beyoncé, on her “Renaissance Tour”, always expresses love for her fans. In Toronto, during a recent show, a fan held up a sign saying, “It’s my mom’s b-day!” This caught Bey’s attention, and she happily gave the fan’s mother a shout-out.
Furthermore, Beyoncé connected with fans after her Barcelona show, giving out merch and chatting kindly with them. She also hung out with Jack Harlow and his mom in Louisville, posing with a tall gift bag, possibly a liquor present. Harlow then posted to threads, “Introduced my Mom to Beyoncé in Louisville, Kentucky tonight.”
The hate crimes across the world against the LGBTQ community are disturbing to see and need to be stopped. To have Beyoncé as a role model for this issue is a great fit for everyone. Best wishes go out to O’Shae Sibley’s family and friends during this time.