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Carlos Santana blasts transgender people during concert – and then apologises for “insensitive comments”
“I realise that what I said hurt people and that was not my intent.”
Image: Daniel Knighton / Getty Images
A video of Carlos Santa blasting the transgender community has been making its rounds on the internet – and the guitarist has since apologised for his “insensitive comments” in a new statement.
Santana made the anti-trans remarks during his concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey last month, though the video has only received significant attention and backlash in recent days.
In the clip, Santana says: “When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are. Later on, when you grow out of it, you see things, and you start believing that you could be something that sounds good, but you know it ain’t right. Because a woman is a woman and a man is a man – that’s it. Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that.”
The musician also shouted out his “brother” Dave Chappelle, who has previously come under fire for his allegedly transphobic remarks and jokes in his stand-up routines.
In a new statement to Billboard, Santana expresses regret for the remarks he made onstage, saying: “I am sorry for my insensitive comments. They don’t reflect that I want to honour and respect all persons’ ideals and beliefs.”
“I realise that what I said hurt people and that was not my intent. I sincerely apologise to the transgender community and everyone I offended.”
The Black Magic Woman performer is far from the first artist of late to share his views on the trans community. In a recent interview with Stereogum, Alice Cooper called gender-affirming care “a fad,” saying “It’s getting to the point now where it’s laughable. If anybody was trying to make a point on this thing, they turned it into a huge comedy. I don’t know one person that agrees with the woke thing.”