Beyoncé has paid homage to O’Shae Sibley, who was murdered at a New York gas station after he was seen vogueing to her music. Sibley, 28, was targeted at a Brooklyn gas station on Tuesday (August 1) after he got out of his car to dance to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album with his friends.
The professional dancer and choreographer was voguing, a form of dance that originated in New York’s Black queer and trans ballroom community, and was stopped by a group of strangers who took issue with him dancing in public.
Sibley and his friend Otis Pena responded to the aggressors, who hurled anti-gay slurs at them. Pena later told The New York Times that Sibley demanded the group to, “Stop saying that. There is nothing wrong with being gay.”
One person then pulled out a knife and stabbed Sibley while Pena attempted to intervene.
Beyoncé inevitably caught wind of the attack and shared her support on her website, posting a message in black and white that read: “REST IN POWER O’SHEA SIBLEY.”
Prior to moving to Brooklyn, Sibley was a member of Phildanco, the prestigious Philadelphia dance company, and was well-known in his close circles for being an amazing dancer. A hate crimes task force is investigating the murder.
“They murdered him because he’s gay because he stood up for his friends,” Pena said in a Facebook video after the incident. “His name was O’Shae and you all killed him. You all murdered him right in front of me.”
Beyoncé has made it a habit of showing love and support for her fans on her Renaissance Tour. At a show in Toronto last month, a fan had brought a sign saying: “It’s my mom’s b-day!” to the show and held it up high while he stood in the front row, which successfully caught Bey’s attention.
She proceeded to shout out the fan’s mother much to their delight.
The “Cuff It” singer also met with a few fans outside of her show in Barcelona, Spain, and was seen on video handing out merch and speaking with them.
She also linked up with Jack Harlow and his mother while in Lousiville, and was seen in a photo holding a tall gift bag — the kind usually used to carry a bottle of liquor or spirits — although it’s unclear if she was gifted this from Jack and his mom.
“Introduced my Mom to Beyoncé in Louisville, Kentucky tonight,” Harlow wrote in a post on Threads.
Source – HipHopDx