Was freddie mercury gay
Learning about what HIV/AIDS was at a young age through Freddie encouraged me to look more into LGBTQ+ history and the AIDS epidemic (which is still ongoing of course) and the challenges we have faced throughout history. She then explained that he had contracted HIV and later developed AIDS, and he died from AIDS related complications. Thanks to Freddie, I had one at least LGBTQ+ figure to look up to and learn from.Īdditionally, when watching his music videos later on in his life, I began to notice him looking a bit “poorly” and so I asked my mother if he was ill at the time.
Younger me figured that if they could like and accept him for who he was, then maybe they could also accept and like me after my coming out. This journey of acceptance and coming out was also aided by the legendary status and impact that Freddie Mercury had during the 70’s and 80’s, as it meant that I had an example of an LGBTQ+ person from my parents era to reference to. I began to feel more comfortable in myself in terms of allowing myself to express myself in a more androgynous way, and this was the start of me accepting the fact that I was also gay.
#WAS FREDDIE MERCURY GAY FREE#
Seeing him express his androgyny in such an assertive and free way, something changed in me. And although he never formally came out, Freddie never properly hid his sexuality either, with his behaviours and attractions seemingly being openly bisexual. Conversely, he could also adapt to being extremely masculine, which he did during the 1980’s when he leaned more towards the leather aesthetic. I had till that point never seen a man so confidently express his femininity. I remember first seeing Queen’s performance of Top of The Tops (1974) when they performed Killer Queen, Freddie immediately grabbed my attention, with a shoulder length shag haircut, painted nails, draped in a fur coat and punctuating verses with rolling expressive hands. Putting Freddie’s legendary vocals aside, watching the elaborate music videos and interviews he was in, I was in awe of how this man took up so much space and was so openly flamboyant and camp.
From the genre-bending Bohemian rhapsody, the power ballad The Show Must Go On to the beautiful pop-opera crossover Barcelona, listening to their music with my mother was like going on an emotional roller coaster, with Freddie Mercury’s distinctive vocals carrying us through. For as long as I can remember, Queen was always being played around my house.