Travis Scott is saying that an instance which resulted in him being accused of transphobia was all just a misunderstanding.
Last week Scott released his latest album, Astroworld, which featured scantily-clad women in various poses on its carnival-themed cover. But Amanda Lepore, who was part of the original image shot by photographer David Lachappelle, was quick to point out her exclusion from the final version. "A girl can't help it! Too distracting for the eyes! Upstaged everyone in the photograph Oh well..." the transgender nightlife icon wrote on Instagram.
Related | Amanda Lepore Cropped Out of Travis Scott Album Cover
Now Scott has spoken out about the edit of the image, which Lepore seemed to have no hard feelings about.
"Thank you David Lachappelle and Amanda Lepore and everyone that came out to make all the covers and the vision come to life!!!," Scott wrote on Instagram. "ASTROWORLD IS ABOUT LOVE AND EXPRESSION NOT HATE! This is veryimportant for me to speak about: Growing up I've been taught to accept everyone, not to cast people away but bring them into your home!"
He went on: "I have nothing but respect for the LGBTQ community. I want to use my voice to make it clear that everyone on this planet is as equal and f-king awesome to the next. Me and Lachappelle set out to create images that I grew up watching him create for years that inspire me today."
About Lepore specifically, Scott said: "Yo Amanda you did upstage everyone even me and I can't wait for everyone to see the booklet that me and Dave put together that includes all these images. Thank you for being apart of it. Sorry for the misunderstanding Love you guys and THANK YOU ALL!! EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO ASTROWORLD!"
While some commenters thought the statement sounded like a constructed copout, others were thankful of the effort and kind words for the LGBTQ community from a successful mainstream rapper.