Elton John, set to perform at the Glastonbury Festival in the upcoming days, has shared worries about playing shows in the US because of growing homophobia. Expressing his concerns in a talk with Radio Times, he said:
“It’s all going pear-shaped in America. There’s violence, [discriminatory] laws enacted in Florida, which are disgraceful. There’s a law now that, if you visit a doctor in Florida, they can refuse to treat you if you’re gay, which I find just unbelievable. We seem to be going backwards. And that spreads. It’s like a virus that the LGBTQ+ movement is suffering.”
The singer went on to talk about his unhappiness with the situation, which he believes extended to Britain, as follows:
“I don’t like it at all. It’s a growing swell of anger and homophobia that’s around America. I don’t know if it’s around Britain, because I haven’t been here that much. But I feel that the Phillip Schofield thing has been totally homophobic. If it was a straight guy in a fling with a young woman, it wouldn’t even make the papers.”
In addition to his first Glastonbury appearance, John is on the road for his ongoing ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.’ The tour began seven years ago but faced many delays because of the pandemic and his hip injury. However, it will finally end in Stockholm on July 8.
On the other hand, the musician made it clear that he would keep performing live here and there after his last show. Excluding the US from his possible destinations, he claimed:
“I said when I announced the farewell tour that maybe I would do a residency like Kate Bush did at Hammersmith [Apollo in 2014], but not in America. I will not do it in America.”
You can read more about Rocket Man’s statements here.
