DaBaby has taken the next step toward making amends for his past inflammatory comments regarding HIV and the LGBTQ+ community by meeting with various advocates in an effort to educate himself on the virus and its impact on the community.
On Wednesday (Aug. 25), the rapper was addressed by a consortium of groups during the virtual meeting, which included representatives from Black AIDS Institute, Gilead Sciences COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Centers, GLAAD, National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Positive Women’s Network-USA, Prevention Access Campaign (U=U), the Southern AIDS Coalition, and Transinclusive Group. The gathering occurred following GLAAD’s open letter to the 29-year-old offering to highlight the misinformation in the statements the star made during his performance at Rolling Loud Miami in late July.
The letter, which was published Aug. 4, said, “At a time when HIV continues to disproportionately impact Black Americans and queer and transgender people of color, a dialogue is critical. We must address the miseducation about HIV expressed in your comments, and the impact it has on various communities.” DaBaby, who had previously apologized for his comments in an Instagram post that has since been deleted, was reportedly engaged and eager to atone for his missteps.
The following day, GLAAD issued another open letter voicing their forgiveness and belief that the “ROCKSTAR” rapper is open to growing and learning from the error of his ways. “DaBaby’s willingness to listen, learn, and grow can open the door to an entirely new generation of people to do the same,” said Marnina Miller from the Gilead COMPASS Initiative. “We are proud to be part of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative’s efforts to train nearly 13,000 people to become more effective leaders and advocates within the HIV community across the South and hope that each can have impactful conversations just like ours with DaBaby.”
Gilead also viewed the discourse as an opportunity for the North Carolina native to use his popularity and influence to assist GLAAD in its mission to eradicate stigmas about sexually transmitted diseases and the LGBTQ+ community. “We hope DaBaby will use his platform to educate his fans and help end the epidemic,” added Gilead.
The letter was signed by various organizations and followed by a statement posted on GLAAD’s official website, which you can read here.