Vogue magazine is facing a backlash from the LGBT community after one of its writers was accused of making insensitive and offensive comments about Cara Delevingne's sexuality.
In the candid interview, the British model and actress opened up about her relationship with singer St Vincent. "Being in love with my girlfriend is a big part of why I'm feeling so happy with who I am these days," she said.
She also detailed the struggles she faced coming to terms with her sexuality, her mother's heroin addiction and her own battle with depression, anxiety and self-hatred.
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Vogue journalist Rob Haskell then wrote: "Her parents seem to think girls are just a phase for Cara, and they may be correct."
He also speculated that Delevingne's sexuality could be related to her troubled relationship with her mother and advised her to "learn to trust men".
A petition has since been launched, calling on Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to issue a formal apology to the LGBT community for greenlighting the interview.
"People are quick to assume queer women's identities are a 'phase' and to refuse to recognize the important relationships in their lives," says petition author Julie Rodriguez. "Vogue should have taken this opportunity to combat negative stereotypes, not reinforce them."
Media commenters were also quick to attack the publication. "At best, Vogue seems like an un-listening, unaware parent shrugging off their teen child's coming out as a fad," says the Daily Beast's Emily Shire.
"At worst, it appears homophobic, treating Delevingne's sexual relationship with women as a temporary, flighty fancy of her youth (read: immaturity) and distrust of men."
