Had you ever defended Fred(or yourself as a fan)towards homophobic remarks?

[QUOTE] [b]miraclesteinway wrote:[/b]


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. [/QUOTE]

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.........

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.

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.

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.

[QUOTE] [b]gerry wrote:[/b]

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.[/QUOTE]

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

Look in peter Hinces book on Queen before you spout off again sunshine.

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.

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.

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.

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.

That's nothing more than speculation on your part. The question cannot be answered either way by anyone on this forum.

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.

[QUOTE] [b]Thistleboy1980 wrote:[/b]

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?[/QUOTE]

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.

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).

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.