Cardi B reminds people she’s queer after backlash over queer slur

Cardi B has hit back at critics who condemned her for using a queer slur by pointing out that she is, herself, queer.

In a social media post on Friday (13 December), the rapper shared two photos of herself with the caption: “Dykey B.”

The post, which has attracted more than 92,000 likes and 2,200 comments, was criticised by some for the use of the word “dyke”, which is often used as an anti-lesbian slur, but has been ‘reclaimed’ by some lesbian women.

The word dyke has been the subject of much debate in the LGBTQ+ community, as to whether it has been reclaimed or is still considered a slur, with some still condemning any use of the word, while others go as far as to list it among LGBTQ+-friendly names.

Regardless, Cardi B, who is bisexual, faced a backlash from those who believe it shouldn’t be used by anyone who doesn’t explicitly identify as a lesbian.

Dykey B pic.twitter.com/lY0dVky7Wx

— Cardi B (@iamcardib) December 13, 2024

“Girly girls call themselves dykes whenever they wear pants and timbs,” one user wrote along with a string of crying emojis, commenting on the jeans that Cardi B was wearing in the post. Another asked: You trying to get cancelled?”

The artist hit back with a set of posts on X/Twitter days later, saying: “Baby, I bend b*tches in real life.”

Cardi B isn’t afraid to express her sexual identity.

In 2022, when her sexuality was called into question by fans claiming there wasn’t enough “evidence” to justify being seen as bisexual, she responded: “I ate b*tches out before you was born… Sorry, I don’t have razr phone pics to prove it to you.”

More recently, the star hit back against body-shamers who made comments about her physique, by posting a picture with of herself eating a stack of pancakes with whipped cream.

“I’m getting body-shamed, I’m so sad,” she wryly said in the clip. “Everybody’s saying I look fat, that my a** is so fat. Everybody hates me.”

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