Is queen a gay band

Around 24 hours later, he died. Queen's Freddie Mercury had a very specific set of reasons for coming up with his band's name -- was one of them his sexuality?. This character also helped him to dodge some of the racial prejudices of the era.

You know, it looks homosexual. It's a thing schoolboys go through. He attended British-style boarding schools in India, where he began using the name Freddie. The clues he gave. In an era when homophobia and racism were far more prevalent than they are today, Freddie Mercury was the queer, South Asian frontman of the band who released one of rock's most iconic singles, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the best-selling album in UK chart history, Queen's Greatest Hits.

And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. The adopted surname Mercury came later, after his family emigrated to the UK inand he began to pursue a music career in west London. Queen’s Influence and Support for the LGBTQ+ Community Freddie Mercury’s impact on diversity and acceptance through music is an essential part of Queen’s legacy.

Share Save. Actress Cleo Rocos wrote in her memoir that she, Mercury and comedian Kenny Everett even managed to sneak Princess Diana into the latter venue by disguising her in drag. But when it came to both his sexuality and his ethnicity, Mercury favoured privacy over direct proclamations until the end of his life.

A new identity. Nevertheless, Wham! It could be argued that Mercury was effectively hiding in plain sight. The Queen frontman and rock icon was involved with both men and women but never publicly confirmed his sexuality, a decision that may have been prompted by the period he lived in.

If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. But because Mercury never came out as LGBT or aligned himself publicly with the LGBT-rights movement, it could be argued that his status as a queer icon is questionable.

"We were very close as a group," drummer Roger Taylor said, not long after. Skip to content. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor have opened up about Freddie Mercury's sexuality in a new interview. Let's put it this way: there were times when I was young and green.

The Bulsara person was still there, but for the public he was going to be this different character, this god. Privately, Mercury had been diagnosed as HIV positive four years earlier, and Butcher suggests, speculatively, that his friendship with the late Diana, Princess of Wales while living with HIV and Aids could have been a contributing factor in her decision to promote better awareness of the disease.

Who was the real Freddie Mercury? Inhe was born Farrokh Bulsara to Indian Parsi parents on the island of Zanzibar, then a British protectorate and now part of Tanzania. Nearly 28 years after his death, the real Freddie Mercury remains cherished.

Nick Levine Features correspondent. His unapologetic expression of his sexuality and gender fluidity challenged stereotypes and inspired LGBTQ+ representation in the music industry. Queen never talked much about Freddie Mercury 's sexuality, and even less about the disease that eventually killed him.

Austin still lives at Garden Lodge, a Georgian mansion in Kensington where Mercury spent his final years. I've had my share of schoolboy pranks. More like this:.