This Is The Worst Part Of The Usher STD Scandal

The first time I was ever so upset with a guardian that I considered running away from home was when my grandmother refused to buy me Usher’s My Way album because it had a parental advisory label on it. I loved the titular single. I loved him. My granny was standing in between the only connection I had with my one true love at the time. Usher was the boy of (one of) my girlhood dreams for all of the late ‘90s. Still, we all have to grow up and realize that even our sweetest fantasies are subject to the harsh realities of the world. For example, sex with your most successful celebrity crush could potentially expose you to a sexually transmitted disease. Or worse, no one would ever believe you if you did have sex with them because of the way you look.

Last month, RadarOnline published some leaked documents pertaining to a 2012 lawsuit against the contemporary king of R&B by a woman who claimed she contracted herpes from the singer. She alleged that Usher’s doctor disclosed the information with her over the phone, while her former lover was present. The lawsuit was reportedly settled for a little over one million dollars. Later, another anonymous woman — who may have seen the RadarOnline story — filed her own lawsuit for $10 million, and upped it to $20 million when she tested positive for the virus. Now, Lisa Bloom — the same women’s rights attorney who is representing Blac Chyna — has released a statement about a forthcoming lawsuit on behalf of three clients who claim to have had sexual encounters with Usher as well. Two of the clients have chosen to remain anonymous, although she claims that one of these anonymous accusers tested positive for the virus.

But a third client, 21-year-old Quantisia Sharpton stood next to Bloom during a press conference where Sharpton said that she met Usher after one of his concerts a few years ago and had unprotected sex with him. Although she tested negative for the virus, she claims that she wouldn’t have consented to sex with him if she knew his status. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself about whether or not I think Sharpton should be entitled to money from Usher. It's also important to understand that at this point, all of these accusations are unconfirmed. I think we are each responsible for our own sexual health, but what I can definitively say is that the popular reason for discrediting Sharpton is bullshit.

Social-media users have chosen to believe that the accusations against Usher are false because they can’t imagine him sleeping with a woman that looks like Sharpton. And, per TMZ, sources close to the singer reportedly said that Usher likes to bring a diverse group of women on stage as an “esteem booster,” but that Sharpton isn’t his “type.” (Refinery29 has reached out to Usher's representation for comment.)

And these reactions are the most heartbreaking development of all.

We have to move past this narrative that people should only be sexually attracted to one “type” of woman. The people that we marry (or feature in our music videos) are the not full report on whom we may or may not sleep with. That physical appearance is the only basis of attraction is reductive. And even the banal idea that we only ever sleep with people that we are attracted to reveals a gross misunderstanding about human sexuality and interaction. As a fellow fat girl, I know better than to ever assume what type of woman someone may be sleeping with based on public personage alone. Popular media would like us to believe that no one is or should be willing to sleep with plus-sized women, ever. And that simply isn’t true. Heterosexual men with a lot of money and access are not off limits to fat women. Trust me on this.

That sources from Usher’s camp have reportedly come forward (per TMZ) to clarify that the entertainer isn’t attracted to Sharpton, while he’s remained silent on his actual bill of health says a lot about the world we currently live in. People can question whether or not you’re a responsible sexual partner, but they should never get the wrong idea that you would sleep with a fat girl, even if you probably would.