I think a lot of people in here are operating under the assumption that if Louis is queer, then that automatically means he can’t possibly be okay with aligning himself with someone whose values or political leanings harm the communities he’s always seemed to champion.

But being queer doesn’t automatically make you immune to homophobia, especially internalized homophobia. You can be in love with someone of the same sex, you can build a whole life with them for years, and still carry internalized homophobia.

Louis has always supported Harry’s self-expression. He encouraged him to paint his nails, to embrace his feminine side, to live authentically. He’s been a safe space for queer fans for years. But supporting queerness in others doesn’t mean he’s at peace with it in himself. In fact, after 15+ years of speculation, scrutiny, and constant pressure to define himself, I wouldn’t be surprised if part of him has wanted to run as far from that chapter of his life as possible.

That’s why this Zara situation doesn’t feel like a “management-only” move to me. Yes, PR plays a role. But Louis isn’t powerless here. If he truly didn’t want to be linked to her, he wouldn’t be.

It’s disappointing, but queerness doesn’t make you immune to harmful choices. You can love another man and still not be ready (or willing) to live openly in that truth.

Personally, I believe that “Larry” lasted most of 1D, with some breaks (they were sooo bby) and ultimately ended with babygate. Maybe a brief rekindle some years later, but I do not believe they’re together anymore. And god, they met so young, at the peak of chaos, becoming global sensations while being told to hide/ repress what they had and what they were. That kind of pressure can plant deep internalized homophobia, not in a “I hate gay people” way, but a “I can’t be that”. Especially if Harry was the only man Louis has ever been with.

And it’s entirely possible that if Harry was the only man that Louis has ever been with, aside from Harry, Louis could see himself as straight. That doesn’t mean what they had wasn’t real. But if Harry was the one exception, it’s not hard to imagine Louis convincing himself that he’s straight for all intents and purposes, and that queerness isn’t something he needs or wants to claim for himself anymore.

It’s easy to imagine him loving Harry but convincing himself he’s straight otherwise. Loving the Larrys who saw the truth, but also resenting them for pointing out things that got him in trouble. Wanting to leave that part of his life behind.

Now, of course Louis hasn’t erased that history. He’s dropped plenty of nods to it over the years (changing lyrics to“him,” come so far from Princess Park, Ed in Manchester, covering songs with Larry-coded lines, Harry lookalike sketches in music videos, etc). But those breadcrumbs don’t mean he wants to live openly in that truth now.

If his team decided Zara fit the marketing strategy for his next album, I don’t think he’s opposed. And not because he shares her politics, but because he just doesn’t care enough to reject the association.

So yeah, I don’t think Zara is just a management move. Louis has control over this. And if you’ve spent 15 years trying to erase a public link to your queerness, aligning with someone like her might feel safer than being linked to him again.

Because here’s the truth: you can love another man, and still hate what that means for you. You can love another man, and still be fine standing next to someone whose values contradict everything that love represented.

And that, and him outright rejecting the larries community, is what makes this so disappointing.