Brian May , guitarist for Queen , has become the center of controversy after alleged comments about concerns regarding diversity and cancel culture that included intolerant undertones. In a recent post, the musician explained the context of his statement.
The controversial comments were published by the British tabloid The Mirror regarding the Brit Awards' decision to remove gender divisions from the award categories, something May described as an ill-considered change before addressing the issue of diversity.
“For example, Freddie Mercury came from Zanzibar, he wasn’t British, he wasn’t exactly white, and nobody cared, nobody ever talked about it. We didn’t need to stop and think, ‘Oh, should we work with him? Is he the right color? Does he have the right sexual orientation?’ That never happened, and now I find it frightening that people need to be so calculating,” he reportedly said. “[Nowadays, Queen] would be forced to have people of different colors and genders and have a trans [person].”
Following the worldwide repercussions of these statements, Brian May used social media to accuse the newspaper of not publishing the conversation accurately. “Yes – I was ambushed and completely misrepresented by a journalist at the recent ITV event. And this led to a great deal of confusion in the press, making it seem as if I am not friendly to trans people. Nothing could be further from the truth. My words were subtly distorted,” he claimed in an Instagram post. “I should have thought better before speaking to those predatory journalists.”.
The post ended with an apology and thanks to fans for their support, but without explaining exactly what his statement was. “I sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt by the articles. My heart is open as always to humans of all colors, all creeds, all genders and sexualities, all shapes and sizes – and all creatures. We all deserve respect and an equal place in this world,” he wrote. “And my thanks to all of you who have come forward to defend me in recent days. It means so much that you have faith in me.”.
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