Azealia Banks dropped from Milkshake festival over anti-LGBTQ+ remarks
Azealia Banks has been removed from the lineup of Milkshake Festival, an annual Dutch music festival known for celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusivity, following backlash over her history of anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
The American rapper was initially slated to headline the festival, but organizers faced immediate criticism from attendees and activists who urged them to reconsider due to Banks’ past statements against the LGBTQ+ community.
Banks, who identifies as bisexual, has been accused of both homophobia and transphobia. In 2015, she was widely condemned for calling a flight attendant a “fucking fa**ot” during an incident aboard an airplane.
Later that year, she posted a series of tweets that Billboard described as a "Twitter tirade" against the LGBTQ+ community, stating, "LGBT community are like the gay white KKK’s. Get some pink hoods and unicorns and rally down Rodeo Drive... If I am to be a part of an LGBT community I want to be in it with people who aren’t so weak or so easily moved ya know."
Her stance on transgender people has fluctuated over the years. In 2016, she publicly supported her transgender brother and congratulated him on his surgery. However, in 2021, she stated that trans women are “just gay boys on hormones using male aggression to force their ways into women’s spaces.”
In 2023, she argued that state funding should prioritize other healthcare needs over gender-affirming surgery, which she equated to cosmetic procedures. In 2025, Banks expressed support for trans people and criticized J.K. Rowling for having what she described as "paranoid" views on trans women.
Milkshake Festival initially announced Banks as a headliner, but after widespread backlash, organizers released a statement on Instagram explaining their decision to remove her from the event.
“Azealia Banks will not be performing at Milkshake Festival 2025. It is clear to us that we made a mistake and that we have overlooked essential information,” the statement read.
“Over the last thirteen years, our mission has always been to unite people. We try to stimulate looking past our differences and to create a place that celebrates the uniqueness of every individual. Anybody who has love in their hearts is welcome at Milkshake. We are, and always will be, for all who love. Nevertheless, we strive to be a place where everyone, and especially the most vulnerable and historically marginalized among us, feel free to express themselves.”
