Things

No, this has been discussed and debated before. If you look at the dates, Harry turned 18 a little over a year after XF ended, and just 4.5 months after WMYB was released. So yes, they were successful, but the extent of that success was still unknown. 

1. There have been plenty written about Simon/syco's conditions when acts are signing, one of them being that the acts can only use Simon's own lawyers for advice on the contracts. As a parent myself I'm confident there's NO way Liam's, Niall's and Harry's parents wouldn't see to it that they consulted a lawyer of their own before resigning. And not even Simon can keep a signed contract from being viewed by the people who signed it in the first place (or their legal aid).

2. As you say the extent of 1D's success was unknown, but there sure were pretty good indications. Already when Liam and Niall turned 18 the book about their X Factor story had topped the Sunday times bestseller list, and the X Factor live tour had been a huge success (and it was obvious 1D was the act people came to see).

3. When Harry resigned WMYB had been released and topped charts, but more importantly - the boys had signed with a very optimistic Colombia for the US market and they had a tour in the US lined up (a tour pretty much "demanded" by 1D's already vast US social media following). Up All Night was the fastest selling UK debut album in 2011 and WMYB UK's best selling single. And Harry was pushed as the front man.

4. By the time Harry signed as an adult he'd seen his fair share of stunting. He had been linked to Caroline Flack and all of the boys social media had been both used and abused. I'm quite sure he made changes to his social media clause that none of the others have as none of his "girlfriends" have been promoted through them (and maybe he didn't know how to take full advantage of it until he got to know the Azoff's).

5. Syco and Simon didn't have any idea how successful 1D was going to be either. They probably thought they'd burn hot and fast as boy bands tend to do. If Niall and Liam wanted to renegotiate their contracts I'm sure the non compete and the terms regarding their image rights after the end of contract seemed like a way to make them feel they "won" something without it costing Syco much.

Ted Cruz endorses Donald Trump

i started off my 1d fandom life in the larrie fandom because larry is my fave and i have all the Feelings ™ and unraveling the conspiracy when i first stumbled upon it was equal parts infuriating and fascinating. that fandom used to be my happy place. the camaraderie was what made my dash an exciting place at that time.

then. march 25, 2015 happened. and suddenly, my happy place caught on fire.

thanks, racism.

because that’s what it was. racism. straight up. it was the first time i saw the way race intersects with sexuality up close. the white lgbt supporters out here turning the most complicated of mental cartwheels, trying to avoid seeing zayn as someone they should be protecting alongside their white faves. and for someone like me– someone for whom zayn is kin, young and pakistani and living in a white supremacist country– it was deeply upsetting. because it wasn’t just about protecting zayn (which, we should, because internet trolls are not something to dismiss, but toxic and dangerous with real impact in the real world) - it was also about protecting the fandom and people like me. the brown girls who were watching all the ugly discourse in disbelief. especially now, more than a year down the line– when your white faves have also broken off to do solo careers, and y’all are happier than pigs in shit– the hypocrisy is just. unreal. not only were/are these people not seeing the obvious logical failings that made zayn’s “leaving” look fishy (i personally knew the game was still on when he was papped with perald the next day) but they were/are also reacting very differently than if, say, harry had gone solo. or niall. the anger wouldn’t have– and hasn’t been– as visceral. but it was with zayn. and i see it. i remember it. and i’m definitely bitter about how it’s poisoned my happy place.

it also gets to me because i know that it could be worse. because if zayn were any less beautiful, any less talented– arguably the most talented in the band– if zayn were any less than the adorable dork he is, it would have been incalculably worse for him. some of you guys, i swear you just put up with him in order to consume the pictures of his pretty face. he is “the beautiful one” when everyone else gets to be an actual personality. like the leaked marketing handout that proclaimed him “the dark horse” when everyone else got to be sunshine sweet. it literally pains me, how such a wonderful and complex individual has been reduced in discourse (in fandom and beyond) to “the beautiful one.” and if he weren’t so beautiful? you’d only have turned on him faster. that old poc proverb so succinctly summed up in scandal– “twice as good, to get half of what they have”– has never felt more relevant.

and with all that context– i don’t get to hang out in the larrie fandom anymore. i don’t get to enjoy the jokes as fully, and i have to run like a full background check on any new blog i follow because i love myself and my boy too much to put up with a single morsel of zayn bashing. i know there are some people in this fandom who are able to compartmentalize, keep the fun and scoff at the ugly– and seriously, i applaud you guys and wish i knew how to do that, because the zayn stuff just gets so personal to me. when i am defending him– defending his right to be a victim fighting for his agency– it feels like i am also defending myself. my right to be angry and hurt by the way people speak so callously and thoughtlessly. my right to be brown in this white world, and still be a valid human being.

i only follow a few larries now. and i might have to unfollow them too, at this point, because fuck, i don’t know what’s worse– watching you assholes pretend he was never in the band, or watching you assholes pretend like he isn’t still out there suffering with the same dead eyes as the rest of the band.

What makes me most uncomfortable with the whole “does ace people really belong in lgbtq spaces” thing, is that it’s non of anyones business how others identify. It’s our business to welcome those who seek us out if they are respectful.

Many doesn’t know how they identify. Many are drawn to lgbtq spaces because of reasons they are not aware of themselves. Many are scared, questioning or insecure. Many start out presenting themselves as allies and end up being lgbtq. Many asexual people have no idea if they experience romantic attraction or with whom in that case.

All we can be sure of is that gatekeeping is never, ever the way to go. We can’t risk to harm people that need us in our quest to keep out exploiters or posers. Of course we want our spaces to be safe, but we can’t forget that safe spaces are also tolerant and open spaces. Allowing spaces. Anyone who is accepting of others within the community (and the way they express and present themselves) should always be welcome.

Though we (me and my coworkers) belong to, and work for, the lgbtq community we never question how people identify or why they come to us, because some people doesn’t want to tell. Or doesn’t know. Or aren’t ready to talk about it. We provide a safe space where no one is allowed to judge others. Where people can express their sexuality or their gender-identity in any way they wish.

I see this strange discussion on Tumblr and I’m so uncomfortable with it because it’s so far from reality. The reality I know can for example be that I see a small group of friends that shows up at our gatherings and parties, a bit shy at first and mostly sticking to themselves, but after a while I learn that one of them is gay, two are experimenting with their gender expression, one is straight and one states they’re asexual. Should I’ve tried to exclude that straight kid or the asexual one from the start? Should I start now? Why? Chances are all of them would have stopped coming. How’s that safe?

Can they come if their queer friend won’t come in without them? If they have a queer kid and need someone to talk to? If they’re suddenly super interested in queer culture tho they’re totally straight *nervous giggles* and I could easily bet my left kidney they’ll come out within a year, they just haven’t realised themselves yet? If they’re obviously closeted?

In reality it’s really not even a big problem (at least not in the places where I’ve lived and worked). Most if not all of the people that come on an average Tuesday night are definitely lgbtq people. It’s probably not very interesting to come if you aren’t to be honest.

What makes me most uncomfortable with the whole “does ace people really belong in lgbtq spaces” thing, is that it’s non of anyones business how others identify. It’s our business to welcome those who seek us out if they are respectful.

Many doesn’t know how they identify. Many are drawn to lgbtq spaces because of reasons they are not aware of themselves. Many are scared, questioning or insecure. Many start out presenting themselves as allies and end up being lgbtq. Many asexual people have no idea if they experience romantic attraction or with whom in that case.

All we can be sure of is that gatekeeping is never, ever the way to go. We can’t risk to harm people that need us in our quest to keep out exploiters or posers. Of course we want our spaces to be safe, but we can’t forget that safe spaces are also tolerant and open spaces. Allowing spaces. Anyone who is accepting of others within the community (and the way they express and present themselves) should always be welcome.

Though we (me and my coworkers) belong to, and work for, the lgbtq community we never question how people identify or why they come to us, because some people doesn't want to tell. Or doesn't know. Or aren't ready to talk about it. We provide a safe space where no one is allowed to judge others. Where people can express their sexuality or their gender-identity in any way they wish.

I see this strange discussion on Tumblr and I'm so uncomfortable with it because it's so far from reality. The reality I know can for example be that I see a small group of friends that shows up at our gatherings and parties, a bit shy at first and mostly sticking to themselves, but after a while I learn that one of them is gay, two are experimenting with their gender expression, one is straight and one states they're asexual. Should I've tried to exclude that straight kid or the asexual one from the start? Should I start now? Why? Chances are all of them would have stopped coming. How's that safe?