This is not a story update, but a statement on recent events within the BSB fandom. I’ve been reluctant to bring up politics on this platform because I believe fanfic should be an escape from real world problems. But this is about more than politics, and as both a writer and a Brian girl, I feel a certain obligation to say something about what his wife has been posting on her social media. I’m way too wordy to do this on Twitter, so I’m saying it here.
Brian has been my favorite Backstreet Boy for as long as I’ve been a fan. I used to want to marry him. As a fifteen-year-old, I cried when I found out he was engaged, but after I accepted that fact, I decided to be happy for him and embrace the woman who made him happy. With the exception of Paris Hilton, I’ve always tried to respect the Boys’ significant others out of respect for the Boys themselves. Most of their wives make that easy because they seem like genuinely wonderful women who are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. But one of them has been making it a whole lot harder lately.
As a Brian fan, I used to defend Leighanne when people talked badly about her. Sure, I may have rolled my eyes at the ridiculous things she said and did and poked fun at her in some of my stories, but I also went to her Wylee parties and supported her business by buying stuff. I’ve had more interactions with her than with any of the other wives, and she was nothing but nice and friendly each time I met her.
All that being said, I’m done defending her. After seeing the hateful, racist, transphobic, ignorant bullshit she’s been posting on Facebook, which has spread to her other social media accounts, I have lost all respect for her.
I also resent her for continuing to put Brian in a difficult position after fans called her out and let her know how much her posts have offended people. I don’t expect him to publicly denounce his wife because that is not in his character. He’s between a rock and a hard place: whether he speaks up or remains silent, someone will be upset with him either way. Leighanne must have seen the criticism he’s been getting for not making some kind of statement contrary to her opinions, but she doesn’t seem to care that she is hurting both her husband’s reputation and his fans.
I know that Brian is conservative, and while I don’t agree with his political beliefs, I respect his right to have them. I also think it’s possible to be a Republican without being racist or transphobic, although I acknowledge that those lines have become more and more blurred as of late. I would like to believe Brian does not share the same extreme views as his wife. Based on what I’ve seen his brother and cousin post, I believe he was raised better than that, whereas his wife clearly wasn’t. I don’t know that for a fact, but as he’s not the one who’s been posting this stuff, my beef is not with him. It’s not Brian’s place to police his wife’s social media; Leighanne has her own mind and the right to speak it. I just wish that she would show some consideration for her famous husband, if not for the fans that help fund her lifestyle, and think about the consequences of her words before she puts them out into the world.
For the record: Black lives matter. Trans women are women, and trans men are men. Covid-19 is real and should be taken seriously, not treated as a hoax. And Donald Trump is both a terrible leader and a horrible human being.
One of my favorite things about being a part of the Backstreet Boys fandom is how it’s enabled me to meet so many amazing fans from all around the world, people I would never have had the opportunity to know otherwise. We were brought together by a shared love of five men and the music they make, and hate has no place in our fandom. Rather than let one woman divide us, I hope the BSB Army will unite behind the Boys, support and learn from each other, and celebrate the diversity that makes us such a force to be reckoned with. Personally, I’ve learned a lot from friends who come from different countries and cultures, and I’m still learning how to be a better ally to friends of color and friends in the LGBTQ community. I want visitors from all backgrounds and parts of the world to feel welcome here. My escape is yours as well.
With that being said, I’ll be back Thursday night with the next chapter of Heroic Measures. Thanks for reading!