Heavy metal icon Rob Halford has reflected on coming out in the late ’90s and how it’s “never too late”.
- READ MORE: Judas Priest legend Rob Halford: “Coming out happened in the right way – it wasn’t premeditated”
The frontman of the legendary Judas Priest spoke to Fugues in a recent interview, where he was asked if other gay musicians had asked him for advice before coming out. Halford publicly came out while performing live on MTV in 1998.
He recalled: “Yes, that has happened, but I won’t name names because everyone comes out when it’s their time. As we all know, set yourself free. It’s such a difficult thing for us to do, even now in 2024 because we still have this ongoing challenge of hate and bigotry and intolerance and divisiveness. You think it would be a lot easier, but it’s not. The struggle is still very real for young people, and that’s where I hope any conversations I have with others do some good.”
Halford continued: “You know, I read a story not long ago about a guy in his 90s who came out just before he took his dying breath. Glory hallelujah! It’s never too late to set yourself free because, as we know, once you’re out, the attacks float away. I’m fucking here, I’m queer, get fucking used to it!”
He also added that coming out “saved his life” along with becoming sober.
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His comments echo an interview he had with NME earlier this year. Talking to Nick Levine, the ‘Metal God’ said coming out the way he did in 1998 “happened in the right way because it wasn’t premeditated. It was simply me talking like I’m talking to you. I just said: ‘Speaking as a gay man, blah blah blah.’ And those simple words resonated and went to a lot of places. As I went back to the hotel afterwards, I thought, ‘That’s it now. Everybody knows I’m a gay guy.’”
He continued: “Everybody in the band knew I was gay, everybody at the label knew I was gay and management knew I was gay. And wouldn’t you believe it? All the fans were like, ‘Well, we always thought you were gay anyway.’ And there was me thinking I’m the only gay in the village! But the goodness that came out of that can’t be overstated. This is a guy from a world-famous, top-shelf heavy metal band from the UK called Judas Priest, and the singer’s a gay guy [who’s] openly out.
“[But] being a gay man and coming out into a metal world, at the time, that was really difficult because of the homophobia and the pushback. And I still get it now. You know, somebody bullied me the other day on Facebook [by writing]: ‘You say you’re a Christian – well, good for you – but you should drop that husband of yours because it’s evil and you’re an abomination to God. Find a woman, you’ll be happier.’ [My response is:] ‘Thank you, delete!’”
Judas Priest most recently released their 15th album ‘Invincible Shield’ in March.