“It’s an out-of-touch shirt”: Beyoncé wore a T-shirt on tour that some fans are calling offensive

Singer Beyoncé garnered criticism for an excerpt written on a "Buffalo Soldiers" T-shirt worn during her Cowboy Carter tour.

What is on Beyoncé's Buffalo Soldiers shirt?

In a post on "Oh No They Didn't," a popular LiveJournal blog, a fan zoomed in on a block of text on a shirt featuring the Buffalo Soldiers.

Buffalo Soldiers were Black members of the American military following the Civil War. The Native Americans they encountered gave them the nickname.

Beyoncé frequently highlights notable figures in Black history during her performances. However, the text on the Buffalo Soldiers shirt raised some eyebrows.

One line reads, "Their antagonists were the enemies of peace, order, and settlement: warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries."

What do fans think of the text?

Beyoncé fans on Reddit debated whether the shirt's text is offensive to Native Americans. Many point out that the Buffalo Soldiers fought for the Union. Others suggest that, in some cases, Native Americans also enslaved Black Americans.

"Black American history is complicated. The back of the shirt looks like a newspaper clipping from a long time ago when the language used to describe things was much different," one suggested. "Maybe it’s just cause I am a history nerd, but I don’t view that shirt as inherently offensive, it’s just presenting the history."

"The Buffalo soldiers fought for the Union against the Confederacy. The Native Americans that sided with them themselves were enslavers," another wrote.

However, some said characterizing Native Americans as "antagonists" is offensive.

"Saying that Indigenous and Mexican people defending their land from Americans looking to take it makes them 'enemies of peace' is [expletive] insane. I understand it'll probably largely be defended here, but I think this is terrible," one wrote.

"It’s an out-of-touch shirt. The Buffalo Soldiers themselves and their history may require nuance to engage with and discuss, this shirt does not," another said.

"It's fine for people to sometimes wear things that are a bit distasteful if its not intentional," a third added. "We should discuss how we think all Bey does down to the smallest details is always done with intention."

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