Carlos Santana Makes Anti-Trans Comments
The Grammy winning guitarist said, "A woman is a woman and a man is a man" between songs at a concert.
Carlos Santana is widely regarded as a beloved musician and one of the best guitarists of all time.
The artist is known for his time in the spotlight in the ’60s and ’70s, as well as his comeback at the beginning of the millennium that involved his smash No. 1 single “Smooth” with Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas. However, he’s now making headlines for some unfortunate anti-trans comments.
During a recent concert, which appears to have taken place in Atlantic City last month, the guitar player took time between songs to speak to the audience.
A video of the moment has been circulating the internet, and it has angered both his fans and those who might not even know him, but who don’t care one bit for what he had to say.
Carlos Santana goes on anti-trans rant during New Jersey concert:
“When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are… a woman is a woman and a man is a man.” pic.twitter.com/fss8d4qukK
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 24, 2023
“When God made you and me — before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are,” he says in the video. “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 okay with that.”
As if that wasn’t enough to upset the LGBTQ community, and especially all trans people, Santana then went on to comment that he stood behind comedian Dave Chappelle, who has made several statements, largely in his stand-up routines, that offended trans people everywhere.
Santana’s team likely alerted him to the newfound controversy, which is new for the musician, who is rarely seen as the starter of anything that makes people upset.
In response, he shared a statement with Billboard, though it doesn’t really say much.
The post includes lines like, “I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not. This is the planet of free will and we have all been given this gift,” and “I will now pursue this goal to be happy and have fun, and for everyone to believe what they want and follow in your hearts without fear. It takes courage to grow and glow in the light that you are and to be true, genuine, and authentic.”
Many in the LGBTQ community will surely notice that he didn’t apologize. Nor did he change his position.
Santana simply implied that he’s a good person who respects all LGBTQ individuals and loves them, spreading peace as he’s done for decades. But that doesn’t mean much when he dehumanizes millions of people and claims that their lives aren’t authentic.
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