Ariana Grande Addresses Claims She's Exploiting The LGBT Community By Headlining Manchester Pride

Nothing comes between Ariana Grande and her LGBTQ fans!

The thank u, next songstress took to Twitter on Wednesday to respond to accusations that her pricey upcoming Manchester Pride Festival performance was exploiting the LGBTQ community.

Ari addressed the critics in a sweet yet straightforward note, claiming that she had (“mostly”) nothing to do with ticket prices and that she really just wanted to put on a fabulous show for her fans.

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Two days after announcing her slot as headliner, the 26-year-old wrote:

https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1100833408144498688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1100833408144498688&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fmusic%2Fariana-grande-responds-manchester-pride-festival-backlash%2F

Further down in the note, the songstress — a longtime ally of the LGBTQ community — said she was “not claiming to be the hero of the lgbtq rights movement,” but just wanted to “put on a show that makes my lgbtq fans feel special and celebrated and supported.”

Smells like sweet intentions to us. Do U agree?

Read Ari’s full response (below) and sound off in the comments!

“hi my love. i have nothing to do with ticket pricing — manchester pride sets those rates, and they’re mostly out of my control. the lgbtq community has been so special to me and supportive throughout my career. the relationships i have with lgbtq fans, friends, and family make me so happy. i want to celebrate and support this community regardless of my identity or how people label me. and also i wanna visit a city that means so much to me. lgbtq representation is incredibly important, and i’m always proud to share that stage with lgbtq artists! over the years, pride events have been headlined by performers and artists of all sexual orientations and genders, including straight allies like cher and kylie minogue. i do think there’s room for us to talk about these issues without equating a performance *for* an lgbtq audience with exploitation of the lgbtq community. if you truly feel like i didn’t deserve to be offered this spot, i respect that. but i did accept it excitedly and gratefully. i’m not claiming to be the hero of the lgbtq rights movement — i just wanna put on a show that makes my lgbtq fans feel special and celebrated and supported. that’s all i wanna do.”

[Image via Ivan Nikolov/WENN]