Styles performing | Photo: YouTube/BBC Music
Singer Harry Styles proudly waved a ‘Make America Gay Again’ rainbow flag at a Philadelphia concert on Friday (15 June).
Styles was performing the One Direction hit What Makes You Beautiful at the Wells Fargo Center when fan Karla Balcazar began waving the flag.
He asked to take the flag, displaying it for everyone to see, and the crowd went wild. Another fan caught the moment on video.
INANANSNSNNS pic.twitter.com/C2G0qn80Xv
— Ausley Styles. 🏳️🌈 TODAY 8 (@Ausley_Styles) June 16, 2018
Styles looked just as thrilled as his fans sounded when he had the flag.
A dramatic tale
Balcazar shared her whole concert experience on Twitter and it was far more dramatic than one might expect.
Hello hi yes I am the girl that brought the “MAKE AMERICA GAY AGAIN” flag to tonight’s show and I still can’t believe how luck I am❤️ so here’s a thread of my concert experience today: #HarryStylesLiveOnTourPhiladelphia #HarryStylesLiveonTourPhilly
— Karla Balcazar (@KarlaBalcazar15) June 16, 2018
She said she got to the venue at 9am and waited in line for 10 hours.
After waiting all that time, she found her her ticket wasn’t valid thanks to a scam. Balcazar ended up having to buy floor seats and luckily a security guard had her back.
Okay so I had to buy floor seats so I can even get inside the venue and I told a security guard about our situation (JEFF IS AN ICON) and he told me that me and my friend can still go into GA bc he saw us waiting in line all those hours
— Karla Balcazar (@KarlaBalcazar15) June 16, 2018
She made it into the venue and got a spot right at the barricade. Before the concert started, she got a photo of herself with her flag.
I asked the security guard if he can take a picture of me and BOOM here she is pic.twitter.com/Z3Ggvs54xw
— Karla Balcazar (@KarlaBalcazar15) June 16, 2018
Then the concert began and while performing What Makes You Beautiful, the iconic moment occurred.
Balcazar also caught on camera the moment Styles returned her flag at the end of the concert.
And the rest of the night was truly magical, this is when Harry gave me back my flag! pic.twitter.com/Wss2TUJhwx
— Karla Balcazar (@KarlaBalcazar15) June 16, 2018
Always encouraging his fans
Since pursuing a solo career following the indefinite hiatus of One Direction, Styles has embraced his LGBTI fans.
After the first 12 performances of his tour, he waved various pride flags at eight shows. These moments included performing with bisexual and trans flags, along with the iconic rainbow flag.
Styles also frequently speaks to his fans at concerts, telling them he embraces them for who they are.
At performances, he’s told them to ‘be whoever they want to be in this room‘. He’s also told them he supports them for who they are, regardless of race or sexuality.
His official website merchandise includes a t-shirt reading ‘Treat people with kindness’ in rainbow font. Proceeds from it go to GLSEN.
