Queen’s Brian May says Freddie Mercury would not have liked queer label

Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor have spoken out about Freddie Mercury’s sexuality in a recent interview.

On June 19th, music fans got to see Adam Lambert’s new documentary, ‘Adam Lambert: Out, Loud and Proud,’ which premiered on ITV.

With candid interviews featuring MNEK, Erasure’s Andy Bell, and Skunk Anasie’s Skin, the former American Idol star explores the long-standing fight for equality that British LGBTQ+ artists have faced in the music industry.

The synopsis states: “Adam Lambert: Out, Loud and Proud is a powerful tribute to the resilience and revolutionary spirit of LGBTQ+ artists who have transformed the music world while fighting for equality.”

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Besides the mentioned artists, the documentary includes an in-depth interview with Queen members May and Taylor, who discussed Mercury’s profound impact and how he would have reacted to being labeled queer, according to ‘Gay Times’.

“The vocabulary has changed a lot. Queer was a word you wouldn’t want to use. I would never have used it to Freddie, and he would have been upset if we had,” Brian explained to Lambert, according to The Sunday Times.

“He would have said, ‘I’m not queer, I’m normal, darling,’ because queer meant odd and weird. It’s hard to talk about Freddie as a queer musician. He would say, ‘I’m a musician, darling. That’s all I want to tell you.’”

Over the years, the term “queer” has been reclaimed by many LGBTQ+ individuals as a positive affirming umbrella term.

In their interview, the duo also reflected on the homophobia they faced as a band in the US, citing MTV’s refusal to play their music video for 'I Want To Break Free' as a prime example.

In the iconic visual, inspired by the legendary UK soap Coronation Street, Mercury and his bandmates are dressed in full drag – with the Queen frontman wearing a black mini-skirt, a sleeveless blouse, and a wig.

“It was a joke. It was meant to be a parody of a very famous soap opera in the UK,” Taylor said.

May also mentioned that homophobia in the US affected the band’s commercial success there.

“There’s a whole sequence of hits that were massive all around the world but not in the United States. We didn’t get a hit until Freddie [passed away],” he explained. “I remember Freddie saying: ‘We won’t get the States back until I f***ing die.’”

Before the release of his documentary, Lambert shared insights into how his candid conversation with May and Taylor came about.

“They’re not usually comfortable speaking about Freddie’s sexuality on camera – they respect his privacy. But we found a way to speak about it in a respectful manner,” the ‘Runnin’ singer explained via The Mirror.

“It wasn’t revealing secrets. It was how it informed him as a creative and artist, a human and bandmate.”

Lambert, who has performed and collaborated with Queen for over a decade, praised May and Taylor for opening up with him.

“I always try to honour Freddie. Everything I do on a stage is a tribute to him,” he added.

“I’m honoured that they felt comfortable with me and open to talk about their experience with Freddie and his experience as a queer man in a time where it was taboo to talk about it publicly.”

Read related myGwork articles here:

Rami Malek, Star of Bohemian Rhapsody, Won’t Say Freddie Mercury Was a Gay Icon

Queen’s Brian May Apologizes For Comments On Brit Awards Gender Neutral Categories

Adam Lambert Launches A Non-Profit In Support Of LGBT+ Rights

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