Who's Afraid of Sam Smith?

Satanic panics, homophobia and Helen Lovejoy syndrome

In case you hadn’t noticed, LGBT+ people are currently in the midst of being targeted by an all-out moral panic. English singer-songwriter Sam Smith has proven a prime targeted for those perpetuating this panic, ever since they came out as non-binary in the tail-end of 2019. Countless right-wing grifters have turned their disgust into Smith and their increasingly bold self-expression into profitable viral content. Smith now attests to being regularly abused in the street.

Smith triggered many conservatives earlier this year with a Grammy performance of “Unholy” - which was heavy on the red lighting, prison bars, fire and devil horns. Watching the outrage pour in over the coming days was entirely predictable - I’d come to expect it within seconds of watching Smith’s performance - but laughable nonetheless. I’ve listened to Christians over the years expend countless oxygen warning about the sly deception of “the devil” and his many disguises, so the idea that his primary messenger on earth would be a horn-clad, non-binary performer singing of adultery engulfed in a pit of fire is pretty laughable. Admittedly, I also hadn’t released prior to Smith’s performance, how many grown adults really did believe in the existence of a literal devil - red horns and all.

Within the last two years, the list of famous artists who have been at the centre of a satanic-panics include, but are not limited to, Smith and Kim Petras, Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Rina Sawayama and, of course, Lil Nas X.

The idea that these artists are messengers of the occult is, of course, ludicrous and the feverish outrage with which their antics are met proves both why they do it, and why others will surely go on to do the same. All attention is good attention when you’re an international pop star whose status depends on reaching front-page news and - more likely in 2023 - the top of the Twitter trending page. There is perhaps no easier and no more reliable a way to provoke outrage that to indulge in the imagery of hell and satan.

But there’s also more to it than that, with all but one of the aforementioned artists being openly queer. Of course, part of the reason for this is that conservatives are always looking for an opportunity to attack anyone who’s out-and-proud. But it’s also worth pointing out that so many LGBT+ artists employ satanic imagery not out of allegiance to the occult but out of a sincere attempt to deconstruct the threats of damnation that have followed them since youth. Conservatives can’t seriously spend decades screaming that gay people are going to hell, and then get annoyed when the people they’ve damned give satan a lap-dance.

Smith caught the ire of the right again earlier this year with the video for his latest single “I’m Not Here To Make Friends” - which currently has nearly twice as many dislikes than likes on Youtube. The video, which features a lot of leather-bound men and allusions to golden showers, was commonly referred to as “perverse” and “degenerate” by commentators - terms which, for members of the LGBT+ community, more closely resemble a fog horn than they do a dog whistle. Even a safe-for-work teaser posted earlier on Instagram, which just featured Sam in a lavish pink dress had commenters pining for the “old Sam”. Turns out that Sam doesn’t need to strip down or adorn themselves with horn, just being queer and happy is enough for them to spark outrage.

Earlier this week, Smith lit up social media once again with the opening night of their Gloria world tour. During the performance they sported fishnet leggings, nipple tassels and a corset. Anyone who’s followed this era of Smith’s career should have expected this and yet, shock and disgust was once again the primary reaction to what Smith describes as their “gay cabaret”. ‘Won’t somebody please think of the children!’ was the faux-distressed response from the Helen Lovejoy’s of the world.

The Lovejoy response is one of my least favourite recurring retorts to anything remotely provocative. It was deployed in response to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” music video back in 2020 and is now being deployed in regards to Sam Smith’s artistic expression. It’s an almost always cynically deployed defence, and one that removes all agency from the parents who are ultimately responsible for the content they allow their children to consume. The defence, at it’s worst, isn’t merely cynical but insidious — see: how it’s been used to argue against accurately teaching children about race in the name of protecting their innocence (white children’s innocence, that is).

As I scrolled through the hate directed at Smith after their performance, on TikTok, I was struck by a fan-cam that contrasted images of Smith performing circa 2017 with images from Gloria’s opening night. “I can’t believe this is the same person…” read the downcast caption. Sad-face. It’s a striking contrast of a thin, unassumingly dressed Smith singing radio-friendly ballads with that of Smith now - a larger, partially dressed, openly non-binary performer singing their most daring material yet. A reminder that despite the historic progress made regarding LGBT+ rights over the years, a lot of self-described “tolerant” people would rather queer people remain hidden, nervous and ashamed.