The singer of the band the 1975 defied Dubai’s anti-LGBT laws during a concert on Wednesday by venturing into the crowd and kissing a male fan on the lips.
Video footage taken by fans and posted on Twitter showed Matt Healy telling gay fans that he loved them and that God did too.
Homosexual sex is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, and the UK Foreign Office advises that public displays of affection are frowned upon and there have been arrests in the past for kissing in public.
Videos shared online showed the band playing onstage in front of a rainbow-coloured backdrop. At one point, Healy was seen to leave the stage and kiss the man.
Speaking to fans from the stage, Healy said: “I love you, bro. We’re all human, right?” Healy also told the crowd: “If you’re gay, I love you and God fucking loves you.”
He later tweeted:
Thank you Dubai you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again
But who knows maybe they will let me back in let’s just wait and see :)
A tweet containing footage of the kiss, which some fans suggested could put the man in danger, was later removed. It is unclear whether he was from Dubai.[…]
The Guardian
Face of the Day
Related
We Have the Report – Now What?
The Rape Gang Inquiry Report contains a blueprint to begin reforming Broken Britain
White Working Class Girls Sacrificed
The least the rest of us can do is tell the truth plainly. Britain’s rape gang scandal was not merely a story of predators. It was a story of permission. The perpetrators committed the crimes, but institutions allowed those crimes to continue.
The Child-Rape Gangs Are Very Islamic
The rape gangs are not an ‘aberration’: they’re embedded in Islamic scripture.
Latest
An Inconvenient Truth 20 Years On
In the 21st century, costs will outweigh the benefits, according to a 2023 paper released earlier this year. Researchers determined that the Paris climate policy will cost $27 trillion per year, while the benefits will be $4.5 trillion annually.
When ‘Fair’ Becomes ‘Equal Outcome’ in Maths
This is not a small distinction. Equal is a mathematical word. Fair is a moral word.
On Memorandums and the Midterms
The greatest threat to the United States right now – the most immediate and pressing one – is the looming midterms.
The Weather and Safety Are No Excuse
A $400 fine is an annoying cost for many people. For someone living on a pension, it can become a fortnight-by-fortnight reminder that the safest decision still lost its appeal. And that is the real reason this story will irritate people.