Rita Ora dropped her latest single “Girls” featuring Cardi B, Charli XCX, and Bebe Rexha this past Friday, May 11th. This star-studded lineup came together to make a sexy summer jam that you will not be able to escape. Rita Ora lets people know that loving the same gender is quite alright, “Sometimes I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls / Red wine I just wanna kiss girls, girls, girls.”  “Girls” is no doubt a fun, catchy bop that people will be playing all summer long, but there are a few who think the song is not a good representation of the LBGT+ community.

Real talk 🌈 pic.twitter.com/9EbZd5dYZq

— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) May 11, 2018

Hayley Kiyoko went to Twitter to express her feelings about the song the day of its’ release. “I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved them my entire life”. She also stated “A song like this fuels the male gaze while marginalizing the idea of women loving women.”  Shortly after Kiyoko’s statement Kehlani chimed in with her opinion:

https://twitter.com/Kehlani/status/995059727535980544

Kehlani found the lyrics to be harmful “Hate to be THAT guy but there were many awkward slurs, quotes, and moments that were like “word? word”. Even with the backlash by these two artists, fans fought back and defended the four girls.

https://twitter.com/EclipseBebe/status/995044651634774016

again and? just because a bunch men wrote the song doesn’t mean girls not stand by that? Bey didn’t wrote lemonade all by herself but people got the message. Your point is completely invalid at this point pic.twitter.com/lgvwd6FBo4

— Heather (@penisshilton) May 11, 2018

They’re tellin THEIR story. Not hers. We can’t pretend like women like this don’t exist just because we want to move forward. That’s ridiculous. Over sensitive.

— JAZZO (@itsJazzo) May 12, 2018

“I don’t need to drink wine to kiss girls; I’ve loved women my entire life.” Good for you! But a lot of girls do need to drink wine to feel confident enough to kiss other girls. Maybe, perhaps, all wlw songs don’t have to be about your specific experience?

— alyssa ⧉ (@akstorm_) May 12, 2018

With all the controversy centered around this song, some forget that “Girls” may help people who are still figuring out who they are come out and accept themselves. The song is still straight fire in my opinion, and although it may be offensive to some people, many may learn to love themselves thanks to Rita and the girls. What do you think of the song? Make sure to listen below and leave a comment or tweet @soundigest. Let us know what you think!

Featured Image: Instagram (@RitaOra)