PSA: Freddie Mercury
With the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic, I would like to share some information I’ve learned during years of research on my hero.
First: Freddie Mercury was bisexual. He had strong sexual and emotional relationships with both men and women throughout his life. He labeled himself bisexual. Stop buying into Queen’s and Hollywood’s vision. Yes, Bohemian Rhapsody will be fabulous no matter what, and it’s wonderful to have any kind of representation for the LGBTQ community, but please. Stop. Bi. Erasure.
Second: It’s Freddie. Not Fred. Not Freddy. Some of the roadies tried to butch him up by calling him Fred. He did not approve.
I’ve learned so much more about him and his sometimes volatile relationship with his bandmates, lovers, and friends by reading the following (and more):
Queen: As it Began by Jacky Gunn and Jim Jenkins
Freddie Mercury, by Peter Freestone
Freddie Mercury, the Definitive Biography by Lesley-Ann Jones
Mercury and Me, by Jim Hutton
Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender by Richard Gray
Bohemian Rhapsody is one source, a sentimental look back through the eyes of bandmates Freddie didn’t want to disappoint. He didn’t even tell them he was dying until it became too obvious to hide. Yes, Brian, Roger, and John were close to Freddie, but they didn’t know him as well as they’d like you to believe. Freddie had his own life outside the band. Despite their view of him as a slut, he was just a man. Like many other men in the 70’s and 80’s, he lived to his fullest sexual potential without thinking of consequences.
He was a liver of life and a singer of songs. He never claimed to be anything more. He lived in a time when the life he lived to the fullest resulted in HIV, AIDS, and death. We lost so many who did the same. Nobody deserved HIV or AIDS, no matter how big a slut. If Freddie would have lived his life differently, he wouldn’t have been the man we love. I hope Brian, Roger, and John know that. As wonderful as it would be to have him here now, it’s hard to say how things would have gone if he’d only acted on his love of women. There’s a possibility he never would have approached Brian and Roger with his idea for a band.
Want more Freddie memes? Visit my author Facebook page, dedicated to Freddie Mercury from September 5 – November 24 each year: https://www.facebook.com/goingquitemad/