‘Below Deck Med’: Malia White Addresses the ‘Swings Both Ways’ Remark – ‘No One Should Care’ – Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Malia White reflected on the comment she made on Below Deck Mediterranean when Lloyd Spencer shared that he was sexually fluid. Spencer said, with tears in his eyes that he was “90% straight” and revealed that he was bullied for his sexuality on a previous boat. That’s when White said that she swung both ways when she was in college. She now said she doesn’t understand why her comment or Spencer’s revelation should be controversial because it isn’t anyone’s business.
White addressed the remark head-on and owned it. “I think people have talked about my sexuality and I just think the bigger topic is who cares?” she told Decider. “Like, stop trying to put labels on who people are.” She questioned, “Is Malia bi? Is she gay? Is she straight?”
“Stop caring, people can be fluid,” White asserted. “I went to college, girls have fun. Everyone has fun and no one should care. It shouldn’t be such a big topic. I think that’s an old-school mentality, too. People can change, they can want what they want, and you can be in love with someone for who they are.”
White’s sexuality became a topic of conversation when Captain Sandy Yawn joked in a Cameo that White was “secretly” gay. Also, White and former chief stew Hannah Ferrier got pretty playful during a crew night out on Below Deck Med Season 2. Ferrier and White kissed and flirted too.
The ‘Below Deck Med’ crew embraced Lloyd Spencer
White also said the crew really wanted to support Spencer for opening up. “I think Lloyd had slowly been opening up, but to see him in tears and to hear him talking about the names that he was being called from past captains or the way that he’s been made to feel because of his sexuality,” she said.
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“It’s just so heartbreaking because this industry can still be a bit old school,” White continued. “I think this next generation of captains and officers and leaders are going to change. And I think in that moment, it was so important for us to just embrace him and be like, here on this deck crew and this whole crew, you’re supported, and you’re loved for exactly who you are.”
‘Below Deck Med’ crew members talk about discrimination in the yachting industry
Spencer said that he was discriminated against for his sexuality and Mzi “Zee” Dempers shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet that yachtie discrimination extends beyond just race. “I mean you get discrimination in terms of culture,” he remarked. Adding that a yacht owner may just not like Americans, for instance. “So it’s not generally towards race,” he said.
RELATED: ‘Below Deck Med’: Lloyd Spencer Never Planned on Going Public as Being Sexually Fluid
“But I think in the yachting industry, Black individuals are the minority,” he said. “So that’s where it could seem as though it’s generally towards race. But I think discrimination happens all around. Like you’re working with the top 1% so they can do whatever they please. So it may not necessarily be the color of your skin. But where you’re from or ethnicity or anything like that.”