Why Billy Porter Is Calling Out Vogue for Harry Styles Cover

When it comes to Harry Styles‘ historic Vogue cover, Billy Porter has made it clear he doesn’t think the choice was all that golden. 

The One Direction alum became the first man to appear solo on the cover of the iconic fashion magazine in all of its 127-year history. The milestone was made even more significant when he posed in a dress topped with a Gucci jacket. However, Porter, synonymous with gender-bending style, was not as quick to applaud the watershed moment. 

“I feel like the fashion industry has accepted me because they have to. I’m not necessarily convinced and here is why,” Porter told The Sunday Times. “I created the conversation [about non-binary fashion] and yet Vogue still put Harry Styles, a straight white man, in a dress on their cover for the first time.”

“I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but he is the one you’re going to try and use to represent this new conversation?” the star asked. “He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life. I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars and not be gunned now. All he has to do is be white and straight.” E! News has reached out to Styles’ rep and Vogue for comment and has not heard back.