Transgender Activist and former INTO writer Eli Erlick, thought he had a spicy take on Ariana Grande’s latest music video ‘Thank U, Next’ accusing the video and the artist of being ‘anti-queer’. The writer has since been fired from the outlet and run off of social media after death threats from the LGBT community and angry Grande fans.

On Monday, the writer wrote an article entitled Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’ Music Video Is Surprisingly Anti-Queer where he criticized the artist for a lack of LGBT representation, transmisogyny, anti-queer jokes, and blackface. Erlick makes his case:

“Thank u, next is entertaining – the kind of entertainment we should be horrified about. If nothing else, we should gawk in horror at minstrelsy, anti-queer/trans sentiment, and racism that is so prevalent in the video. If people begin to speak out, then we may be better equipped to hold entertainers who fail to have basic respect for people of color, trans women, and queer people accountable in the future.”

After an intense backlash from the singer’s fanbase, INTO stepped in to announce that they have fired the writer after the article didn’t meet their editorial standards and should have never been published. The outlet also acknowledges ‘allegations’ against Erlick but did not go into details about the nature of them.

In a statement to The Wrap, the Editor of INTO stated: “Given the seriousness of these allegations, I personally spoke with the writer and immediately launched an internal investigation.”

In the aftermath of the decision, Stafford stated that Erlick has deleted his social media accounts due to death threats he received for his writing. “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,”

“INTO has historically been a place for varying opinions from LGBTQ people around the world, and will remain such a place — but these opinions never warrant violence,” it continued. “And when a writer’s own life could potentially be at stake, we must take necessary steps to ensure their safety.”

Erlick has since gone into hiding following the backlash but the situation is a good look into the window of those who preach tolerance and love turning on you in the worst way the second you step out of line with the group’s opinion.

Don’t forget to Subscribe for Updates. Also, Follow Us at Society-Reviews, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Odysee, Twitch, & Letterboxd