It has been nineteen years since R&B star Aaliyah passed away, but her legacy and impact still hover over pop culture today. Pop stars like Zendaya and Chloe X Halle still pay homage to her music and fashion, and her presence still wields a loyal following of fans, many of them LGBTQ+.
Eric Ferrell, Aaliyah’s former hair and makeup stylist, has shared a story from the set of Romeo Must Die that he believes shows Aaliyah was indeed an advocate for LGBTQ+ people.
A fan asked Ferrell, “If Aaliyah were alive today, [would] she be outspoken about Trump and the injustice from his administration?”
“OH GOD YESS!!!” Ferrell replied. “She had very strong opinions about social issues! She was very much a committed ally to the LGBTQ community. She once very forcefully checked a fellow actor who was continually taunting a gay crew member on the set of Romeo. Because the man was flamboyant, said actor thought it was funny to target him. Well, she set him straight and made him apologize in front of the entire crew.”
Who was the costar? Fans speculated between all of the men in the cast, but Ferrell clarified that it wasn’t “Anthony [Anderson] or Jet [Li] nor was it Delroy [Lindo]! And I’m gonna leave it at that!”
“Bet you she clocked Isaiah Washington,” a fan wrote in the comments, which Ferrell later liked.
Ferrell’s reaction to the comment isn’t exactly a firm confirmation, but it wouldn’t be too hard to believe, since Washington was written off of the ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy in 2007 for using a homophobic slur aimed at his castmates on that show.
Aaliyah died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, a little over a year after Romeo Must Die premiered.
Gosh. Aaliyah is a gem that this world never got to realize its full brightness and potential. I still miss her. If she had lived, I promise you I’d have stanned her harder than Beyonce. And it is so heart warming to know that she was also open minded and respectful of my kind. Rest on in peace, Queen.