Music

The 1975’s Matt Healy Kissed A Male Fan During Dubai Concert To Protest Anti-LGBTIQ Laws

"I know what you guys are going through, and I know that you're not representative of your government."

by Jared Richards  16 August 2019
The 1975's Matt Healy

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The 1975 frontman Matt Healy used the band’s first performance in Dubai to make an impassioned stand for LGBTIQ rights, kissing a male fan despite United Arab Emirates laws that could see him imprisoned for up to 10 years.

As seen in fan recorded-footage (via Billboard), Healy the kiss took place during The 1975’s ‘Loving Someone’, set to a rainbow backdrop. The man in the crowd yells, ‘Marry me!’ and Healy (who, for the record, doesn’t identify as queer) leans down for a hug and kiss. He then says, “we’re all human, right?”, later giving an emotional and not-so covert speech about the country’s anti-LGBTIQ laws.

The United Arab Emirates punish homosexuality with not only prison sentences, but public floggings, chemical castration and, in some cases, a death penalty. In a speech in an earlier part of the show, an emotional Healy says, “I’m scared being here right now. I don’t want to say the wrong thing,” wiping back tears.

“I just want us to identify as humans and not as groups of individual different people. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know it seems indulgent – but I do this every night, and I see so much passion and pain — and I know what you guys are going through, and I know that you’re not representative of your government.”

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“I can’t do this without saying anything, I’m sorry, I can’t do it. So if you want to arrest me for lifting my shirt or swearing….”

Following the show, Healy wrote on Twitter that the show was amazing, but he didn’t know whether they’d be allowed back to his “behaviour”. “But know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again,” he wrote.

The 1975’s fourth album will be out next year — last month, they shared its opening track, which featured a rousing speech from climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg. Recently, Healy also called paid meet and greets a gross way to “monetise human connection”

Watch a segment of Healy’s speech below.