Azealia Banks – HowSketchy

Findings

When	Description	Source
2013	Banks has repeatedly used the anti-gay slur “faggot” in public disputes. In 2013, GLAAD criticised her after she used it against American blogger Perez Hilton; Banks initially defended her use of the term before apologising.	Source
2025	Banks has made explicitly derogatory statements about trans women and gender-affirming care. This became significant enough that Amsterdam LGBTQ+-oriented festival Milkshake cancelled her 2025 appearance after backlash over her history of homophobic and transphobic comments.	Source
2025	After declaring herself a Zionist, Banks made a series of inflammatory statements about Arabs and Palestinians, including claiming that “no black person should be supporting Palestine,” making sweeping allegations about Arab enslavement of Black people, and arguing that only Black Palestinians should receive asylum in Israel. She also made an unsupported claim about “inbreeding” among Arab and Jewish populations.	Source
2025	Banks has repeatedly made statements invoking antisemitic stereotypes, including claims that Jews “run and own” industries such as hip-hop, basketball and sports, references to “Jewish bosses,” and other stereotypes about Jewish people. These remarks have appeared alongside other, sometimes contradictory, statements in which she expressed admiration for Jewish culture and support for Israel.	Source
2016	Banks launched a racist and homophobic Twitter attack against Zayn Malik, a British-Pakistani pop singer and former One Direction member, after accusing him of copying her. She was subsequently suspended from Twitter and dropped from a UK festival.	Source
2016	Skai Jackson, then a 14-year-old Disney actress, told Azealia Banks to “simmer down” during Banks's Twitter feud with Zayn Malik. Banks responded by calling Jackson a racial slur and making sexualized comments about her body, including telling her to undergo plastic surgery. Banks later apologized for her comments, saying that using racial and sexual slurs to degrade others was unacceptable.	Source
	Azealia Banks has publicly identified as bisexual since 2012 and has at times defended LGBTQ+ people, including congratulating her trans brother on his transition and criticizing Dave Chappelle and J.K. Rowling for transphobic views.	Source

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