Sam Smith thought fame would make them immune to homophobia.
The “Too Good At Goodbyes” hitmaker – who identifies as non-binary and uses gender neutral pronouns – thinks it is “still hard to be queer” and claimed they are abused in the street because of their sexuality.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Smith said: “It’s still hard to be queer. There’s still backlash.
“I still get things said to me on the street, even now. The weirdest thing is you can be famous, you can be a pop star and you still get it.
“Because I thought I’d become a pop star and I’d never get a bad word said to me ever again. I’d never have homophobia. I’d never experience it if I became a star. And then it happens and it’s still there. It’s still there.”
Smith is happy to be a voice for the LGBTQ+ community because they know they are in a “powerful” position thanks to their public platform.
They added: “You have to talk about it all. And I’ve stepped into that because I’ve now realised how powerful that is. And there’s kids out there that need this. They need us to talk about it.”
The 30-year-old star recently claimed they had lost fans due to “homophobia and transphobia”.
Smith said last month: “In terms of music I definitely feel like there are some people that have turned away, I think purely down to homophobia and transphobia.
“That’s a hard thing to take on, that people are digesting your music in a different way.
“My music has always been queer. ‘In The Lonely Hour’ was all about being in love with a straight guy. It’s fascinating how people’s politics sometimes can leak into their love of music.”