Is Kim Kardashian an LGBTQ ally? Here are the receipts
Whether you love her, loathe her or claim to be completely disinterested in her (really?), you can’t deny Kim K's influence. But is reality TV’s GOAT on our side? We try to keep up...
November 2017
Ellen DeGeneres makes a cosmetics-loving Welsh schoolboy’s dreams come true after arranging a meet-and-greet between him and his idol on her show. The then-12-year-old Reuben de Maid “almost faints” when Kim Kardashian walks in on him filming a makeup tutorial.
We just rewatched the clip and genuinely struggled not to get emotional.
August 2018
When model Tyson Beckford criticises her body on social media (“sorry, I don’t care for it personally [….] she is not real, doctor f*cked up on her right hip”), Kim claps back, saying: “Sis, we all know why you don’t care for it.”
Backlash ensues as some interpret the remark as an insinuation that Tyson is gay. Defending herself, Kim employs a cringe-inducing old adage, saying: “I’m sorry, I’m the least… all my best friends are gay. I support the community, I love the community, they love me. That has nothing to do with this.”
October 2019
Caitlyn Jenner was Kim’s step-parent for two decades, but their relationship has been famously volatile since Caitlyn and Kim’s momager, Kris, divorced in 2015. They’ve publicly disagreed on everything from politics to the facts surrounding the demise of Kris and Cait’s marriage, and we’ve lost track of whether they’re currently speaking. But Kim’s tribute to Caitlyn on her 70th birthday (“I love you forever”) arguably proves her fundamental support for the world’s most famous trans woman.
November 2019
Kim’s makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic comes out publicly as gay on stage while accepting a gong at the American Influencer Awards. Kim fights back tears as she introduces “one of my best friends”, thanking him for “inspiring me every day”. He, in turn, calls “Kimberley” his “muse” and “angel”, adding: “What you have done for my self-worth is indescribable.” He then shares his coming-out story.
At this point in our research, we’re full-on crying.
June 2020
Kim tweets about the murder of two Black trans women, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells and Riah Milton along with the caption: “BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER.” However, the picture of Milton was actually of her aunt. Milton’s sister, Ariel Shaw, says of the tribute: “I would also like to add that this makes it much worst [sic] [because] my aunt passed away in April.” Kim removes the tweet. Symbolic of the ills of rushed, surface-level allyship.
June 2021
Kim marks Pride month with a tweet for an advertisement for her game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.
“Happy Pride Month!” Kim tweets, along with a cartoon version of herself holding a rainbow flag. “I love how there are so many ways to express yourself in my game!” We’ll pass, thanks.
The verdict
OK, she gets it wrong on the regular. But who doesn’t? The important thing is, no matter how many times her allyship blows up in her face, Kim keeps trying. Just imagine if a public figure of this magnitude (she’s the world’s 10th-most-followed person on social media, after all) didn’t try at all – or, worse, actively worked against us.