Iggy Azalea Cancels Appearance at Pittsburgh Pride Event
Her participation was questioned by groups that support the LGBT community.
— -- Iggy Azalea has pulled out of Pittsburgh's June 13 pride celebration after her participation was called into question by several groups that support the LGBT community.
The singer, 25, tweeted on Monday that she regrets making anti-gay comments in the past "because I understand they play a detrimental role in the fight for issues that I do truly believe in."
"This has been a difficult decision as I truly support the event and LGBTIQA communities, however I feel my participation at this point would only serve to further distract from the true purpose of the event," she wrote. "I am a firm believer in equality. Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have. The last thing I want is for something so carelessly said to be interpreted as reflective of my character."
Azalea did not specify what words she used, and insensitive remarks reported by other news outlets that Azalea allegedly tweeted in 2010 appeared to be gone from her Twitter feed.
Organizations including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network had dropped out of the Pride celebration because of the rapper's involvement. Vanessa Davis, who heads the Pittsburgh chapter of the group, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that making Azalea the headliner of the celebration was an "insensitive choice."
The cancellation of Azalea's appearance at the event comes a week after she pulled the plug on her Great Escape Tour.