| Stelios 14.01.2015 05:22 |
I know it did happen to me mostly in school years. Remarks wasn't about AIDS , but about campness or not beeing a real men. Also as teenagers some thought Queen weren't really rock since the key-figure was gay. It even focused on me for worshiping the man and the band questioning my sexuallity and stuff.( We talk about Greece here, a very macho oriented culture) In the end i think it did strengthen my connection with Queen rather than the opposite. Did you had any similar experiences? |
| tomchristie22 14.01.2015 06:41 |
I probably had to in school at some point. It's astonishing how many people think all four of them are gay. One guy was telling me once how Freddie's using autotune on all his studio vocals, especially Bohemian Rhapsody, in order to get them to sound so perfect. Pretty sure his proof was the fact that artists do it nowadays (never mind that the technology didn't exist in the 70s), and that Freddie didn't sound very good at Wembley's Saturday concert (which he took as indicative of Freddie's 'real' unaltered voice, I guess). Stupidity and ignorance sure are frustrating.. |
| Stelios 14.01.2015 07:07 |
^^^ Your comment reminded me of an outstanding stupid moment when a friend was telling me that he could reach those high notes (talking about Show Must Go On) because of beeing gay, for god's sakes !!! |
| Costa86 14.01.2015 07:20 |
When I was 13 back in 2000, I had printed a photo of Freddie and stuck it to the front of my school diary. I didn't get any bad reactions, except one or two kids asking why I liked "old music". Most of the others kids understood how great Queen was. I have occasionally defended Freddie from people calling him a poofter. Usually I let them know that they're fucking idiots and their "music" sucks monkey dick. But most people I meet really like Freddie and Queen, even if they're not actual fans. |
| Thistle 14.01.2015 07:22 |
I once threw a guy out of my shop for stupid remarks. I was selling a copy of the "Mr. Bad Guy" pirate picture disc, and the guy's wife wanted it. He told her "I wouldn't pay money to buy that poof's music". He then looked at me, nodding with a grin as though looking for me to reinforce his stance. Instead, I threw him out. It may seem petty to some, but I don't stand for homophobic, racist, or any other form of insulting or derogatory remarks in a public setting. Keep your opinions to yourself, or say them in private - but don't make me look the same by association. I'm not gay, but it so happened that the man trading across from me in the market was, and he could hear the comments. Totally unacceptable. |
| Thistle 14.01.2015 07:28 |
Oh, yeah - and also having to defend myself because of being a Queen fan at school, college and even at university and work. Everyone automatically assumes that you must be gay if you're a fan of Freddie, or think it's acceptable to make silly comments about him being gay. Regardless of sexual orientation, he was a human being, and a bloody great entertainer. What difference does it make? |
| miraclesteinway 14.01.2015 08:02 |
Thistleboy and others in the UK might remember the time when Queen were really regarded as a second-rate band, because of no other reason than Freddie's sexuality. Along with that they had also been viewed by the press as more AOR, Radio 2 (which at that time was an insult). A kind of magic did well because of the massive tour and live aid, and it was OK to like Queen then, even if they weren't as cool as the new romantics. The Miracle did quite well, with I want it all as the lead single (the other singles didn't really do well, but at that time, most bands only did well with the lead single, not like today with downloads pushing everything up the charts), but the absence of a tour and the rumours about Freddie's illness prompted the 'backs to the wall' remarks, and even things like 'well he brought it on himself'. Then, Innuendo did well, but there was by this point too much in the press about Freddie for things to be ignored, and the press were not sympathetic, and neither were the general (non Queen fans) public. They were very much sleazing up the fact that Freddie was gay and that his AIDS was a direct result of his sexuality, and that somehow, it was deserved. The press and public stopped short of saying it was deserved. Then, when Freddie died, the whole world realised that they'd lost a legend, and people were genuinely shaken in the general public. Newsreaders announcing it looked visibly upset in a way that perhaps only happened again with Diana (although Diana's aftermath was much greater, and overhyped sadly), and people, for a moment, started to talk about AIDS in terms of it being an unfortunate illness. By the time the Freddie tribute concert came round, that gave some impetus to people to be able to talk about AIDS in the UK in a way that they hadn't before. However, in Scotland, where I am from, and in other more provincial areas, Freddie was talked about as if he was a murdering satanist. I often heard him spoken about as a terrible man, a man who got what he deserved, a disgusting example of a human, and it was really ignorant and sad. This lasted probably up until the late 1990s, certainly past the release of Made In Heaven. Everyone here knows that Freddie's AIDS infection was a direct result of unprotected sex, and nobody knew that better than Freddie I'm sure. We all mess up, we all make mistakes, yet we are all conditioned to point the finger at everyone else's mistake rather than focus on our own. I'm sure Freddie probably thought, in his quieter moments, 'I wish'. He certainly didn't need the press or anyone else to tell him that he had made a mistake. Besides, in these first generation infections, people didn't realise AIDS was there, so it's really not right to judge people in that light for things that weren't known about. The attitude in the press was complete homophobia. If a man sleeps with a thousand woman, he's a stud. A thousand men, he's gross. If a woman sleeps with a thousand men, she's a slut. It's really terrible that we still - even today - judge people by how they live their private lives rather than how they treat other people. But this was always the case. I notice that the atmosphere surrounding AIDS has thawed. People talk about it with respect and love, and in terms of compassion for those afflicted -patients, friends and families, and that's wonderful. It's wonderful that people want to help and wipe the disease out. We have come a long way in 25 - 30 years. However, there is still a contingent of people who will still say stupid things about AIDS, from 'I hope you catch AIDS and die' to 'well, junkies deserve it' - and it's the wrong attitude. "Junkies" are sometimes our friends and family, and need our support and compassion the way everyone else in society does. You see, I'm kind of extrapolating now - the whole thing about being slated for liking Queen, because people didn't accept his sexuality and AIDS diagnosis, well, it's much bigger than the gay and AIDS issue. It's a 'no oddballs allowed' issue. It's a 'nobody who doesn't fit in my view of what society should be is allowed here' issue. It's this very issue extrapolated that causes every conflict. The problem is not with the oddballs, the gays, the junkies, the transgendered (we still aren't very good at accepting transgendered people, sadly), those of different faiths, races, the disabled, the mentally ill, - the problem is with the people pointing the finger and shouting. Everybody has something, right? |
| Oscar J 14.01.2015 08:15 |
Thanks for taking your time writing good posts! :) |
| Thistle 14.01.2015 08:23 |
Everybody, indeed, has something. No-one's perfect - but we're all human. Regardless of gender, sexual orientation, colour, race, size, weight...whatever.....we all look same when we're pushing up the daisies. Regarding the "second rate band" part, I don't actually remember that time. I took to Queen around '95, so a bit of a late starter lol - but I am aware of these stories, and further my education through guys like you. Oh, and my avatar might just give it away - I'm Scottish too :) |
| The King Of Rhye 14.01.2015 08:31 |
Thought-provoking post there, miraclesteinway.... I never really experienced much of having to defend my liking of Queen......perhaps because when I first started getting into them (in my high school years), Queen was actually somewhat 'cool' for a little while in the US......the early 90s, FM Tribute Concert, Bo Rhap in Wayne's World....yeah, I got a few raised eyebrows and snarky comments from people that would see me carrying around a Queen CD or something, but I didn't really care what those people thought anyway, generally they werent anyone I was hanging around with! My social circle back then was more or less the geeks and/or slackers (if that makes any sense...lol) and Queen was actually quite popular among them :D |
| tcc 14.01.2015 09:44 |
Nothing personal but I noticed that most of your threads are about Freddie's sexuality. You seem to be very interested in this aspect of his life :-) |
| noorie 14.01.2015 09:58 |
When I was in school my friends just thought it weird that I loved this seventies music. Although most of them knew about Freddie and liked him for being this 'badass party guy'. But there was a definite disapproval among older people. The Parsi community is quite small, and many times I have heard our older people voicing their disgust and dislike of Freddie's lifestyle. To the point that they say they feel sorry for his parents!!!! That's when I get really angry, and tell them off. And once I had a weird experience at Vancouver airport. I was listening to Queen on my iPod, and this lady sat down next to me, and soon we started talking. When we started talking music and I told her how much I loved Queen, she looked a little uncomfortable and said something to the effect that Freddie was not a very 'decent' person and not a good icon for young people!!! Well, I just changed seats as quickly as possible. I don't know whether this was because he was gay or because of his hedonistic lifestyle. But as miraclesteinway put it, if a man sleeps with a thousand woman, he's a stud. A thousand men, he's gross. The one thing I noticed is that almost everybody who knew Freddie personally has only good things to say about him, and ultimately that is what counts. |
| 7thStranger 14.01.2015 10:44 |
To be quite frank, I seen a lot of homophobic remarks coming from many Queen fans who are adement that he was not attracted to men. If you search this forum for any thread relating to Jim Hutton, the speech ranges from "I don't care la la la la head in the sand" to "Jim just used Freddie, who was OBVIOUSLY confused, I mean, he loved Mary, right??" He was partnered to a man under whose love and care he passed. The disrespect for Freddie and for all queer men and women that I've seen here and elsewhere is disturbing. |
| Thistle 14.01.2015 10:49 |
^ Does anyone else see the irony in that last sentence? 7th, I think you should edit that very quickly. "Queer" is not the best term to use ;) |
| Holly2003 14.01.2015 10:53 |
I have killed 14 men, 6 women, 4 dwarves, 2 parrots and a ventriloquist's dummy for making off-colour remarks about Fred's sexuality. |
| 7thStranger 14.01.2015 11:11 |
Thistleboy1980 wrote: ^ Does anyone else see the irony in that last sentence? 7th, I think you should edit that very quickly. "Queer" is not the best term to use ;)Why not? None of us know what Freddie's true sexuality is. Queer seems to be the only word that does fit. |
| Stelios 14.01.2015 11:23 |
And of course, lets not forget the OPPOSITE trend. "I don't like gay gays but this Freddie dude is a exception. He is cool even though he is gay." |
| gerry 14.01.2015 12:44 |
Freddie always said "for those who do not like like, just stay away" I remember when i was a boy at comprehensive school, i had Queen wrote on my sports bag, i got some stick for that by the kids at school, one lad said Queen were a pack of poofters, some one else called freddie a goofy poof, but i did not care because i loved Freddie and i knew he had something other singers did not have, a great voice and Magic aura about him. The BBC also hated Freddie especially "Top of the pops" who always ignored Queen when they went up in the charts especially in 1980 when "Another one bites the dust" hit number 7. And there is the nasty DJs on Radio One back in the day, like Janice Long, Peter Powell, Tony Blackburn, Steve Wright, all snubbed Queen because Freddie was gay. Freddies true sexuality is that he mainly loved Men, he was not Bisexual, he was Gay. I loved Freddie for shoving the gay side of his persona in peoples faces, it was his way of sticking two fingers up at folk who did not approve. Freddie went from being hated to a hero after he died, and that annoyed me so much. All those years Queen were slagged off by the Melody maker, and Record Mirror, and then he was dead and turned hero. |
| Marknow 14.01.2015 12:52 |
I have never had to defend myself for the simple reason that I am not Gay and cannot recall any instance where I would have been labeled as being so. On the Freddie side of it I have heard lots of undesirable comments throughout the years but to me it's water off a ducks back really. People are entitled to think what they wish regardless of how ignorant that may be. It's not up to me to change their opinions, anyhow I would relate it to trying to teach the theory of evolution to a monkey. Ignorance is bliss after all... |
| miraclesteinway 14.01.2015 13:03 |
I think 'queer' is a term now used by some of the LGBT community, who are sometimes known as the LGBTQ, or LGBTQE, or LGBTCQ (Queer, Queer Experimenting, Curious Queer). It depends on the spirit with which the word is used. Anyway, regarding Freddie's sexuality, it's fairly obvious he was gay. He was through and through gay. I think his relationship with Mary was probably a very genuine and deep friendship, but it probably started out of the hope that perhaps he would be able to grow into the straight life. All that is water under the bridge anyway, he lived at a different time. He was born in 1946 in India, and the immigration to the UK for his family was probably quite difficult. Regarding his family's attitude towards his sexuality, who knows what it was? They probably would have worried a lot if it was spoken about, found it embarrassing, but I don't think they loved him any less or judged him because of it. I know some deeply religious people who have gay friends and family, and they find it hard to reconcile the two, but thankfully the deeply religious people I know have decided to put their love for the person ahead of any worry or prejudice about the sexuality of the person in question. Sadly that's rare, but it does happen. I've read posts on this forum and other places about Freddie's sexuality and how people think he was a misguided straight, or something, and it's all gobshite. The truth is that we need to move away from it as an issue. Sexual orientation and for what it's worth gender identity are deeply personal issues that have no bearing on a person morally, or on their value as a human being, and we should stop wondering who is and who isn't gay, etc. This particular forum thread is not, to me anyway, really about Freddie's sexuality, but about facing other people's prejudice, which is why I felt I could answer on it - so I'm not ranting at anyone who has contributed to this thread :) |
| 7thStranger 14.01.2015 13:27 |
I am gay, and I can confirm that "queer" has always been an appropriate term depending on its usage. But I appreciate the attempt to be respectful nonetheless. :-) |
| The King Of Rhye 14.01.2015 14:08 |
Stelios wrote: And of course, lets not forget the OPPOSITE trend. "I don't like gay gays but this Freddie dude is a exception. He is cool even though he is gay."I actually saw something like that on the youtube comments for the NYE concert.......something like "Freddie was a manly gay, but Adam isnt".......what the......... |
| Jazz 78 14.01.2015 14:12 |
I would defend the band back in the 70's because here in the States it wasn't cool to like Queen or you were thought of as "odd" but I still loved the music. Some of my friends back then would say, "Queen? They're gay!" But I would defend them because I had a source on the inside being my cousin who was their lighting director so I would hear the real stories of who they were. But with Freddie, he never said anything dealing with his sexuality. It was usually funny road stories and I heard about the wives and girlfriends so that lead to my defending "my band." KISS was huge at the time so a lot of the kids were leaning in that direction but I stuck by my guns and here I am 37 years later still as loyal as ever!!! |
| Stelios 14.01.2015 14:15 |
Marknow wrote: I have never had to defend myself for the simple reason that I am not Gay and cannot recall any instance where I would have been labeled as being so.3 points 1) You can defend for someone who you don't nesesarly share the same charachteristics with.It's more about what you think its fair. 2) Not beeing gay dosen't exclude straight kids/boys from the "gender/orientation Police" that kids/teenagers perform.Its more about competition and the alpha male attitudes. 3) You can be Straight and identify (to a degree) with Freddie as a Man. So the "faggot" remarks can still hold some poison. |
| miraclesteinway 14.01.2015 14:16 |
LOL, LOL and thrice LOL So it's alright to be a 'manly gay' but not a camp gay. Or whatever. I'm gay too, might as well do our coming out here as started by 7thStranger (welcome to the forum), and I've had people say to me 'I don't like gays but you're alright, you're not like other gays'. I don't get offended at all now, I just think these people are misguided and a little bit thick. You know what? It's all about control. That whole thing about not accepting people for whatever reason, it's because they want to live in a 'safe' society where they can keep things and people in safe little boxes. In fact it's something we've all done at some point in our lives, but the issue might be we have a muslim friend, or a jewish friend, or a right wing friend that we get on with through gritted teeth because we like them but not their 'party line'. It might even be that we have a friend who doesn't like Queen. Nah, that's not possible. Everybody likes Queen..... |
| Stelios 14.01.2015 14:26 |
^^^ You may laugh but you do indeed know the difference. To be a ''manly gay" is not exactly ok, but you exclude yourself in ONE WAY from the "norm". To be gay and feminine you tick 2 "negative" boxes. Gender identity and sexual orientation. So yeah, its harder.Of course its not fair. But the same would go if you were lets say 1)muslim and 2)woman. Society, acceptance and opportunities is so trivial as simple math sometimes. Sadly... |
| The King Of Rhye 14.01.2015 14:30 |
did you get my pm, 7th Stranger? |
| discosucks 14.01.2015 16:19 |
No, but I have told people off when they try to use him as a figure of 'gay pride'. Since they know almost nothing about him, they thought he was a flamboyant promiscuous dipshit, basically. It's quite insulting when this man has written some of the most beautiful songs in existence. |
| brENsKi 14.01.2015 16:47 |
Jazz 78 wrote:I would defend the band back in the 70's because here in the States it wasn't cool to like Queen or you were thought of as "odd" but I still loved the music. Some of my friends back then would say, "Queen? They're gay!" But I would defend themwell that's not consistent with what was going on in America at large at that time - otherwise how do you explain the massive appeal of very hetero/male dominated sports stadiums adopting WWRY and Champions? and furthermore, by 1980 Queen were the biggest band in the USA - by some distance. the only way your comment stands up is if you lived in some "duelling banjos" redneck hillbilly backwater...in which case, if you did, then i admire your derring do. Jazz 78 wrote: but I stuck by my guns and here I am 37 years later still as loyal as ever!!!and i don't get this comment. sorry but music is personal taste - you can't be made to NOT like music - it either appeals to you or it doesn't. there's certainly no loyalty - unless you were sticking with them even though you disliked what they were doing musically...in which case THAT would be loyalty (misguided and stepfordlike) but loyalty nonetheless. not having a go, but perhaps your choice of words was a little "dodgy"? |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:34 |
brENsKi wrote: and i don't get this comment. sorry but music is personal taste - you can't be made to NOT like music - it either appeals to you or it doesn't. there's certainly no loyalty - unless you were sticking with them even though you disliked what they were doing musically...in which case THAT would be loyalty (misguided and stepfordlike) but loyalty nonetheless. not having a go, but perhaps your choice of words was a little "dodgy"?? think he means he wasn't discoraged by negative comments and un-coolness. Also music has a lot to do with identity and the kind of person you want to project when you are young.Sure Queen made some questionable choices, musicaly and stylistacaly.They could possibly "alienated" someone. Gladly , what it stayed in the end, was their boldness to explore unfamiliar territory by all means.And that was (also) established by the attitude of the group during their last difficult years. |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:35 |
multiple posts..sorry |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:35 |
(the same) |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:36 |
(the same) |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:36 |
|
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:37 |
^^^ |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:37 |
if someone could tell me how to delete false multiple posts, that would help... |
| Stelios 15.01.2015 00:42 |
because this turned to the outro of Show must go on... |
| Pingfah 15.01.2015 08:35 |
miraclesteinway, your main post in this thread was superb. Myself, I have been accused of being gay on several occasions, all while defending a gay friend from bigots bullying him. At no point did I defend myself from it, because I didn't want to give the impression that it was something that should need defending from, and being straight I have the luxury of being able to take that sort of thing on the chin from time to time as it is a rare occurrence. My heart goes out to anybody who has had to deny their own sexuality to avoid a beating. |
| 7thStranger 15.01.2015 09:39 |
Stelios wrote: because this turned to the outro of Show must go on......go on... ...go on... |
| master marathon runner 15.01.2015 10:11 |
"when Queen were a second rate band" ,- nah, that one passed me by. Just look at their catalogue and see how well they sold, the countless polls they dominated for years, the sell out tours, endless plaudits, no," second rate band" really doesn't apply. |
| Ozz 15.01.2015 11:45 |
7thStranger wrote: To be quite frank, I seen a lot of homophobic remarks coming from many Queen fans who are adement that he was not attracted to men. If you search this forum for any thread relating to Jim Hutton, the speech ranges from "I don't care la la la la head in the sand" to "Jim just used Freddie, who was OBVIOUSLY confused, I mean, he loved Mary, right??" He was partnered to a man under whose love and care he passed. The disrespect for Freddie and for all queer men and women that I've seen here and elsewhere is disturbing.Spot on. The amount of denial about Freddie's preferences is astounding. I think it's because during Queen's career, Freddie always gave a strong Alpha vibe that people just can't associate with gay people. Besides during the 90's the media tried to rewrite history, putting Mary in the spotlight as Freddie's true love. (Maybe it helped to boost sales way more than talking about Jim). |
| gerry 15.01.2015 12:00 |
Yes even Brian May tried to twist things about Freddies sexuality saying he used to go out with girls, and we never thought he was gay back then. Suddenly May and Taylor had venom in there eyes for Paul Prenter who they blamed for taking Freddie to sleazy bars in New York, Germany, Hamburg etc........ This was the beginning of the end and destroyed Freddie, he craved more and more danger. |
| miraclesteinway 15.01.2015 12:16 |
The whole Paul Prenter thing that all came out around the time of the Days of Our Lives documentary, was a little bit on the sleazy side - the way they spoke about him, the way they basically blamed him for Freddie's death (or - stopped short of doing so). Believe it or not I know a relative of Paul Prenter, and this relative didn't know Freddie but his family met him once or twice. Anyway, Paul Prenter fell out with his whole family, having had some personality issues, like controlling behaviour and being bad with money, and never taking responsibility for his actions towards other people. However, I do think that whatever happened between Freddie and Paul Prenter, was obviously something that Freddie was happy to go along with at the time. This isn't a judgement on his character. It's a fact that Freddie enjoyed living the rock and roll lifestyle, and was happy to take cocaine, drink more than he could cope with and have sex more times than he could remember. Even Freddie admitted this himself, in that very candid David Wigg interview in 1987. I think any one of us in Freddie's situation might well have done the same thing at that time. The other members of the band have also behaved in ways that leave them open to judgement from the public and press. The difference with a rock star and the rest of us (or an actor and the rest of us, or a priest, or a politician) is that usually the rest of us don't have to have our indiscretions pasted all over the newspapers and spoken about for years to come. It seems to me that Paul Prenter was just someone in the team who could get Freddie what he wanted, when he wanted it, and yes, was probably quite happy to party on Freddie's tab. Then, unfortunately, he went off and sold his story to the Sun, which was the wrong thing to do. By then, Paul Prenter was a dying man in a complete mess, and while it's no excuse for his actions, it's fairly easy to see why it happened. He could probably have written to Freddie and asked for help without taking the sleazy route. Usually in this world (I mean, the world, not simply the entertainment world), where large amounts of money and fame are concerned, there will be some hanger on somewhere willing to tag along and try to manipulate you. Add drugs and alcohol to the mix, and sex drive, and you've got a pretty volatile cocktail served up right there. Finally, I was wondering too, Gerry, why I'd heard Brian talking about Freddie liking girls in an almost defensive way - I remember there was this documentary on in 1999, and Brian was talking about Freddie meeting Mary and going on about how in those days Freddie wasn't gay, or as gay, etc. Perhaps though, that was Brian's experience of it. Perhaps Brian thinks Freddie realised he was gay later on, and hadn't considered it previously. I think it's more likely he got himself into a relationship with a girl he probably thought was very beautiful and genuinely loved, but wasn't sexually attracted to, in the hope that somehow things would work out differently for him. Many gay people have to go through that, particularly at the time when society hadn't caught up with the idea that actually, there's nothing wrong with homosexuality. |
| gerry 15.01.2015 12:31 |
Great post! Yeah Brian and Roger hated Prenter because as Brian put it, Prenter took Freddie to some seedy places and Freddie appeared naive at the time but soon ended up loving going to more and more dangerous clubs and leather bars etc........ Prenter did however back stab Freddie after Freddies hospitality! We will never get to know the full story, unless phoebe knows anything on this subject. Yes Freddie loved Mary very much but i believe deep in his heart he knew he was attracted to men. He refused Mary a baby and said he would much prefer a cat, so that says it all really. The name Queen, must ring out a few bells too, "yes i was well aware of the gay connotations" freddie said, Mmmmmmm that was very tongue in cheek, and Freddie must have had a chuckle when he got away with that one! Bless. |
| pittrek 15.01.2015 13:02 |
During my teenage years I didn't get any negative responses, most of my friends liked the hard rock / heavy metal and punk rocks scenes, and all of them had lots of respect to the "old rock bands" like Queen. But after I became an adult, there were people who reacted "strangely" when they realized I like Queen (giggles, comments like "don't be afraid I won't tell anybody"...) I quite don't understand it to be honest. |
| The King Of Rhye 15.01.2015 14:19 |
miraclesteinway wrote: Finally, I was wondering too, Gerry, why I'd heard Brian talking about Freddie liking girls in an almost defensive way - I remember there was this documentary on in 1999, and Brian was talking about Freddie meeting Mary and going on about how in those days Freddie wasn't gay, or as gay, etc. Perhaps though, that was Brian's experience of it. Perhaps Brian thinks Freddie realised he was gay later on, and hadn't considered it previously. I think it's more likely he got himself into a relationship with a girl he probably thought was very beautiful and genuinely loved, but wasn't sexually attracted to, in the hope that somehow things would work out differently for him. Many gay people have to go through that, particularly at the time when society hadn't caught up with the idea that actually, there's nothing wrong with homosexuality.I remember reading somewhere that he was trying to have a relationship with Mary, and he said something like "I think I'm gay" to her, and she wasnt surprised in the least......cant remember where I read that......... |
| Mr.Mouth 15.01.2015 15:48 |
Ofcourse I will allways protect Freddie like a person and like a Greatest Powerhouse ever that walked the earth. Dont mess with a legend and his legacy. Rest in peace you fuc.... legend. |
| tomchristie22 15.01.2015 16:40 |
Indeed, people like to maintain the view that Freddie's true love was Mary. Sure, they seemed to remain close in a platonic sense, but it can't be denied that he was confused when with her in the early 70s, not later when with Jim. |
| gerry 16.01.2015 05:00 |
Queen's road crew were homophobic towards Freddie in the early days, for instance at rehearsals they were heard chanting "Now im here" as " Now im queer" to freddie, which was cruel. poor freddie must have been so isolated in those dark days knowing he was a gay man but having no one to discuss all his worries with. It also seems that Brian and Roger must have known freddie was gay as he was so regal and flamboyant on stage, but they insisted to the press that fred had girl friends and he was having a relationship with Mary Austin. I know what Freddie was trying to do, he was creating a smoke screen so people would not judge him and that it would make him feel safer if people accepted him as straight, but we all know this relationship was a sham with Mary, and it was only a very close friendship, because Mary did not excite Freddie sexually. Freddie loved macho tached men, hence the leather look that he sported in 1978. Freddie came out of himself around 1979 and started cruising the gay bars with Paul Prenter, and from then on freddie wanted more and more outrageous clubs to visit. |
| Mercuryman12 16.01.2015 05:22 |
gerry wrote: Queen's road crew were homophobic towards Freddie in the early days, for instance at rehearsals they were heard chanting "Now im here" as " Now im queer" to freddie, which was cruel. poor freddie must have been so isolated in those dark days knowing he was a gay man but having no one to discuss all his worries with. It also seems that Brian and Roger must have known freddie was gay as he was so regal and flamboyant on stage, but they insisted to the press that fred had girl friends and he was having a relationship with Mary Austin. I know what Freddie was trying to do, he was creating a smoke screen so people would not judge him and that it would make him feel safer if people accepted him as straight, but we all know this relationship was a sham with Mary, and it was only a very close friendship, because Mary did not excite Freddie sexually. Freddie loved macho tached men, hence the leather look that he sported in 1978. Freddie came out of himself around 1979 and started cruising the gay bars with Paul Prenter, and from then on freddie wanted more and more outrageous clubs to visit.Did you make all these inferences yourself? First where did you hear that the road crew mocked Freddie? I have read a lot of things and that was not one of them |
| gerry 16.01.2015 05:25 |
Look in peter Hinces book on Queen before you spout off again sunshine. |
| miraclesteinway 16.01.2015 06:05 |
Homophobia was an accepted norm in the 70s and 80s, as were misogynistic tv shows and bosses, and racism was seen as comedy. It was always wrong, and it was always disgusting, but a crew member calling Freddie queer in 1978 or something could be forgiven for going with the mob. Actually homosexuality in Scotland was only decriminalized in 1980 and legalised in 2000. Between those years you could be arrested for breach of the peace for holding hands with another man in public. Although it was rare it dI'd happen. More sensitive police would sometimes talk to openly gay couples to be careful of hostility towards them. Looking back, it's really shameful the way things were. We are very lucky with how fast things have progressed, but it seems we still have a long way to go. We still have anti semitism, islamophobia, xenophobia, UKIP and the Daily Mail. We still have a hard line Roman Catholic church but I get the impression the pope is at least trying to dissolve the old attitudes. Thinking about it, Freddie must have had a very painful time being gay and Indian in 60s Britain, with a family he didn't want to offend or worry. It's nice to see interviews with his mother today when she says 'we just lover him ' I believe that, but I also know the interviews where Freddie admitted that family relations were sometimes a little strained for him, although he clearly had a deep respect, sense of duty and love for them. Not that I'm trying to make him a saint. |
| Madame Mercurie 16.01.2015 06:12 |
I have the same attitude/opinion about Freddie now as I had 30 years ago... From the earliest times on film he appeared effeminate/androgynous and I think that, sums up honestly, what he was intrinsically about. I have, and always will, continue to defend his wonderful legacy against small minded, loudmouth bigots who zero in one facet of his life and choose to know SFA about the person himself. In relation to the matter of his sexuality, of course he was partnered with Mary for a long time as we all know, persued male partners for the remainder of his life but.... also in the latter years, had an on-and-off intimate relationship with the late Barbara Valentin. |
| thomasquinn 32989 16.01.2015 06:22 |
Nobody I know ever cared either way whether Freddie Mercury was gay or not. I do know a couple of people who enjoy poking fun at Freddie's outrageous costumes and Roger's (formerly) girly looks, though. My personal opinion: it's none of my business who anyone feels attracted to / sleeps with, and I couldn't care less either - it's the music I care about. |
| gerry 16.01.2015 08:36 |
Madam mercurie: Freddie did not have an intimate relationship with Barbara Valentine, because peter freestone (phobe) who was freddies personal assistant for many years, concluded to say if freddie had of had sex with barbara then he would have been shouting it from the roof tops and he would have been the first to know about it, and ultimately this never happened. Freddie was close to Barbara but not in a sexual way. |
| thomasquinn 32989 16.01.2015 10:38 |
That's nothing more than speculation on your part. The question cannot be answered either way by anyone on this forum. |
| gerry 16.01.2015 11:44 |
No its not speculation its fact. Freddies personal assistant knew more about freddie than anyone as freddie told him everything. Phoebe (peter freestone) tells a few interesting things about Freddie in his book, and its worth reading. check it out. |
| Heavenite 16.01.2015 13:50 |
Thistleboy1980 wrote: Oh, yeah - and also having to defend myself because of being a Queen fan at school, college and even at university and work. Everyone automatically assumes that you must be gay if you're a fan of Freddie, or think it's acceptable to make silly comments about him being gay. Regardless of sexual orientation, he was a human being, and a bloody great entertainer. What difference does it make?Precisely. It was about the music and the entertainment. And Freddie being gay would seem to have been an essential part of his ability to entertain and create great music. |
| malicedoom 16.01.2015 14:54 |
What really got me was, after Freddie died, I had to tell some people WHO HE WAS (and WHO QUEEN WERE), here in the USA. That was harsh. Then, a few months later, Wayne's World came out at the theaters, and suddenly everyone knew again. So that made it better. That and the F.M. Tribute Concert, although Fox pussied out on that too and wouldn't even mention Freddie's NAME (I kid you not - it was called the 'Concert For Life' - that's how freaked out everyone was about AIDS at the time). |
| Stelios 17.01.2015 02:35 |
The thing is that on and off stage (especially bravery towards his illness) Freddie appeared to qualify the virtues we commonly associate with strong males. So the poofter, faggot remarks seem not only racist but genuanly unfair/contradictory . Of course this is more about gender identity than sexuality. Then again the homophobic slur towards gay men is more asocciated with their supoosedly female qualities than with the man loving characteristics, in the first place. |
| thomasquinn 32989 17.01.2015 07:08 |
gerry wrote: No its not speculation its fact. Freddies personal assistant knew more about freddie than anyone as freddie told him everything. Phoebe (peter freestone) tells a few interesting things about Freddie in his book, and its worth reading. check it out. As usual, you don't have a clue what a fact is. You are going on a statement by Peter Freestone. You believe that statement because, as you say, "Freddie told him everything". How do you know that this is so? Because Peter Freestone says so. That is not evidence. What he writes in a book is not evidence - it's statements that can, under certain circumstances, be used in support of arguments. They are NEVER facts. You would be a lousy historian. Peter Freestone may be telling the truth, he may be telling what he believes is the truth while in fact he's wrong, or he might be lying. There is no way for us to tell which of the three is the case. You choose to believe him, and that's fine. But it's not a fact. |
| The Real Wizard 18.01.2015 12:04 |
miraclesteinway wrote: By then, Paul Prenter was a dying man in a complete mess, and while it's no excuse for his actions, it's fairly easy to see why it happened. He could probably have written to Freddie and asked for help without taking the sleazy route.Somehow I doubt that. If he couldn't go to him for money and needed to sell him out to the tabloids, then it's pretty clear that they fell out in one way or another. It has been said that Mercury cut ties with most of his gay circles when he found out he was ill. Most people tend to think that was in 87. But we now know that it was 86, or even earlier. Did Prenter travel with the band on the Magic tour? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer was no. All we have to do is find anyone who worked on the crew in 86 and we could solve this one pretty easily. |
| The Real Wizard 18.01.2015 12:17 |
brENsKi wrote:I'll step in here, if I may.Jazz 78 wrote:I would defend the band back in the 70's because here in the States it wasn't cool to like Queen or you were thought of as "odd" but I still loved the music. Some of my friends back then would say, "Queen? They're gay!" But I would defend themwell that's not consistent with what was going on in America at large at that time - otherwise how do you explain the massive appeal of very hetero/male dominated sports stadiums adopting WWRY and Champions? and furthermore, by 1980 Queen were the biggest band in the USA - by some distance. the only way your comment stands up is if you lived in some "duelling banjos" redneck hillbilly backwater...in which case, if you did, then i admire your derring do. As a teenager in the early-mid 90s in Canada I experienced the same stuff - never mind the US in the 70s. I was the outcast for liking a band with a gay singer. In fact, some people even insisted "they're a bunch of fags." That's probably where I learned the lesson that some people just cannot be reasoned with. Sure, people liked Rock You and Champions in the 70s because they were great songs that served a purpose. But sometimes songs end up in popular culture irrespective to who creates them. Never mind bands merely with gay singers - plenty of people who hate Michael Jackson as a person still love Billie Jean. We still shout "hey!" during Gary Glitter's tune at the game. Chris Brown's records still sell in six figures. And people who abhore rape will still watch the Cosby show. It is indeed very possible to separate the person from the art, even in the worst cases. So therefore I think it's a bit of a red herring to dismiss the homophobia that absolutely did exist in the 70s on the basis that Queen's songs were played in hockey arenas. As always, there are layers to be examined. But again - some people hate George Michael because of his personal life. It's weird. There is no algorithm to calculate these things. People are fickle. |
| Stelios 18.01.2015 16:05 |
^^^ Mercury i think challenged too many barriers with presenting very androgynous, very macho and a blend of two facets of himself. People wounln't know what to think. That creats friction 'cos it keeps 'em guessing and questioning "boxes". The easy way to solve that puzzle is to dismiss him. Judas Priset singer, had it much easier. Of course his coming out came much later, but then again he belongs to the Heavy Metal realm which is typically more macho ( perhaps more homophobic also). But then again Metalheads are more loyal to their idols... My point...too many layers indeed. |
| Gregsynth 19.01.2015 11:14 |
Apart from the occasional "Freddie was gay" comment, I didn't experience too much hassle with being a Queen fan in high school (late 2005 was the timeframe Freddie's voice got embedded in my brain for life). I still don't get why people harass other people for liking bands or artists who are gay. |
| TomP63 19.01.2015 15:46 |
In my days at school I never experience any hassle, maybe due the fact it was Queen highpoint here in Holland, with Killer Queen and out of nothing came Bohemian Rhapsody. I had never had any discussion about Freddie's sexlife. The discussion I had was more about the music, that the band never could perform any of their stuff live. Easy solution, my first booteg called Tokyo Rampage which is in fact a collection of mixed shows, but that aside, just one click on the cassette and another discussion was soon over. In my army days, there were the load discussions about Freddie being gay, or the whole band being gay. I had one answer, the same answer I use today, so what........In my humble opinion, I don't see the connection being gay and making music. Or there must be some kind of a law which says that gay men, or woman for that matter can't make music if their gay. It is such an useless discussion. Tom |
| luthorn 19.01.2015 21:11 |
I spent early part of my teenage years in Europe in the early 1990s and later part in the USA in late 1990s. In early 1990s Queen was God in Europe due to Freddie's passing. Freddie touched a lot of people in Europe. Once I moved to the USA, Queen was a historical artifact reserved for the classic rock radio stations with their 1970s music, nothing from the Works and beyond was played. I was a Queen fan and people knew about it, but the music taste in the USA shifted strongly toward black artists' from the ghetto, Dr. Dre etc. No one gave me hard time about Queen, aside from thinking I listen to 'dad's' music. In fact, late 1990s was a time when gay-lesbian community made a final and successful push to be accepted in the main stream. Any mockery of being gay among my peers did not exist, simply because it was accepted, even if not cool, to be a gay if you were college age. Queen music simply did not register with people because people listened to other, modern, stuff. Classic British set up bands (drums, guitar, front man, bass) were on the fringe simply because you could not dance and pick up girls/boys to those tunes at the party. Any anti-gay crap came from my peers' parents, not towards my musical tastes, but towards many of their own children, my friends, who were either openly gay or were finding their way in life. About that, I could tell you some real fucked up stories. |
| malicedoom 23.01.2015 07:33 |
The Real Wizard wrote: But again - some people hate George Michael because of his personal life. Argh. This fact still annoys me and I know I shouldn't let it. Faith and Older contain some of the greatest music I've ever laid ears on. Easily. And to this day. Yet some people still 'know' George Michael as the guy who a Beverly Hills Cop got to pull his dick out. Maddening. Why do some people insist on being so fucking stupid and closed-minded? --------- Ah well. Rant over. |
| thomasquinn 32989 23.01.2015 08:09 |
malicedoom wrote:Jazz 78 wrote: But again - some people hate George Michael because of his personal life.Argh. This fact still annoys me and I know I shouldn't let it. Faith and Older contain some of the greatest music I've ever laid ears on. Easily. And to this day. Yet some people still 'know' George Michael as the guy who a Beverly Hills Cop got to pull his dick out. Maddening. Why do some people insist on being so fucking stupid and closed-minded? --------- Ah well. Rant over. Well, if it's any consolation: I hate George Michael solely because of his music, no ulterior motives whatsoever. |
| malicedoom 23.01.2015 09:49 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote: Well, if it's any consolation: I hate George Michael solely because of his music, no ulterior motives whatsoever. :) Well see? There ya go! That, I can appreciate. |
| The Real Wizard 23.01.2015 12:45 |
malicedoom wrote:Ha, that's my quote !Jazz 78 wrote: But again - some people hate George Michael because of his personal life. |
| The Real Wizard 23.01.2015 12:47 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote: Well, if it's any consolation: I hate George Michael solely because of his music, no ulterior motives whatsoeverHAHA !! Well played. Even this? He was the first pop artist to play this prestigious Paris opera house. His voice isn't quite as strong as it used to be, but I'd say his songs and arrangements of the covers are excellent. |
| ITSM 26.01.2015 03:15 |
Years ago, a couple of friends bought me a really gay poster - with Freddie on stage in an ugly, opened chested leotard. I saw the humour. |