I think though, when it comes to the 'contracts' bit and closeting specifically, why some ppl think they are still that is because not everyone believes *only* Larry are/have been. I believe in Ziam. I also believe all the Twitter fights and feuds and ot5 not being friends anymore was/is all BS and a clear stunt. This based on pattern and shade if you truly look into things (so not just me 'believing cause I want' or anything.) When I see that, Liam esp seem affected these days :/ ot4 v zayn 1/2
Hello love, you seem nice so I hope you interpret this as âpolitely disagreeingâ and not âactively shitting on youâ.Â
The problem with some parts of this fandom, is they think you can have an âopinionâ on how the law works. If youâre a lawyer you can have an opinion on how a case might go one way or another, but thereâs no such thing as an âopinionâ on something as basic as the very basis of contract law. Not on the level people in this fandom are talking about.Â
Closeting someone through a contract term, a term that states âyou cannot be openly queerâ, is not a thing. Well, itâs potentially a thing in the sense that itâs theoretically possible someone could have written that, but as per the article I linked yesterday, even entertainment lawyers donât actually know if itâs a thing or not/donât see it a lot. The second reason itâs not a thing is that that kind of term can be taken to court. Because itâs highly questionable. Itâs questionable af.Â
If someone was being âheld captiveâ under a clause like that, they would get a lawyer and they would take it to court. Even if they lost, they would simply be required to give a certain amount of money to the other party and the contract would probably be considered broken anyway.Â
Now contracts could potentially âclosetâ people a bit in a round about way, eg âyou may not be seen holding hands with xâ. And PR can closet people by controlling image and aesthetic and media narrative. But thatâs not a literal contractual term.Â
The second thing, is that people who âbelieveâ Syco (which, if people keep forgetting, literally no longer even exists as an entity) still hold the original One Direction contract over the members heads, are once again ignoring how contracts work.Â
We know for a fact that they renewed their contract in 2013 and that it was due to expire in 2015. We have several media articles stating that, and it also makes legal sense.Â
If the original contract was still ongoing, Niall and Liam would simply not have been able to sign with Universal Music. UM is a direct competitor of Sony. Thatâs not a thing. Zayn, because he left early, would have fallen under a âmember leavingâ clause and Sony would have retained the right to be the one to sign him for a certain period of time, but thatâs it.Â
I have been a fan of the band for a long time. I am sorry to say it, but itâs blatantly obvious (and yes Iâve âlooked into itâ) that Zayn doesnât have a good relationship with Louis or Harry, he doesnât seem to have one with Niall either, and with Liam it may be on talking terms.Â
I do think Zayn talked up the feud/hating the band a bit when he first left in order to form a different image/lose the boyband image. But people donât âpretend to not be friendsâ for over five years forâŠwell thereâs really no discernible reason. What would that âstuntâ achieve other than pushing all of their fans away? Not many people were looking into Ziam in the first place.Â
Next, I think Liam does seem like heâs having a hard time these days, and I donât think itâs because of âstuntsâ, I think itâs because heâs having a hard time. Heâs spoken about issues with alcohol, heâs spoken about issues with mental health. He is in lockdown, he has spent the whole year performing old band songs and being asked to reminisce on the âglory daysâ. I think he probably feels a little lost and overwhelmed and sad. I worry for him.Â
I think the âchanging narrativeâ around Zayn (andâŠit doesnât change much) isâŠhuman? Harry hasnât changed his tune much at all. Louis seems to have tried to mend fences a few times and it hasnât worked yet (eg inviting Zayn to the performance). Niall doesnât seem to care. Liam was always close to Zayn and I donât know that he is as mad as some of the others. But ot4 acknowledging Zayn during the anniversary isnât a changing narrative, itâs normal. Them sometimes speaking about him nicely isnât a âchanging narrativeâ itâsâŠhuman relationships. Some times they may have good things to say and sometimes not.Â
Harry 100 percent chose his solo contract. Again, please understand that the law is not this made up thing. Itâs real. People like Harry Styles post One Direction are not forced to sign things against their will. He didnât have to go solo. None of them did. And there is no âifâ. They are ALL under solo contracts. The fandom has literally made this idea up, and itâs a complete fucking legal fiction, that they are all still under the original contract. Thatâs not a thing. We even know for a fact WHEN some of them signed new contracts. Facts exist. Legal facts exist. Please stop buying into the fandom idea that âcontractsâ donât have to abide by the fucking law, and stop buying into the fandom idea that no one knows what the law is or how it works. Itâs bullshit.Â
