Writer Receives Death Threats After Calling Ariana Grande's Music Video 'Anti-Queer'

A writer for an LGBT news website has received death threats for an article in which he or she criticized Ariana Grande’s new Thank U, Next music video. The website, INTO, has since removed the byline for the Dec. 3 piece.

Once the author’s name disappeared, an editor’s note appeared at the top of the online article. “We have decided to remove the author’s name from this piece after the editorial team was alerted that a high number of death threats were being made against the writer as a result of the opinions presented in this piece,” the site read.

In the article, the author criticized Grande for “blackface” and “transmisogyny.”

“Her music video failed to support the basic dignity of queer and trans people,” the author wrote. “Laden with transmisogyny, anti-queer jokes, and blackface, the video follows Ariana’s white feminist awakening through a celebrity-laden nod to several cult classics.”

INTO has since published a statement as well as a rebuttal to the controversial piece on its website.

According to the statement, INTO, a news organization owned by the LGBT dating app Grindr, has since terminated the employment of the writer due to previous concerning allegations. Their Editor-in-Chief Zach Stafford also launched an internal investigation after learning of the allegations.

“INTO was not aware of these until Monday after publishing,” Stafford wrote. “And the writer will not be contributing to INTO for the time being.”

Ariana, who is a popular celebrity in the gay community, has not discussed this matter publicly.