Carlos Santana apologizes for anti-trans comments he made during a recent concert

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Carlos Santana apologizes for anti-trans comments he made during a recent concert | CNN
cnn.com

Carlos Santana faced criticism on Thursday when a video of the musician making anti-transgender comments during a concert in New Jersey in July resurfaced on social media.

“When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are,” the guitarist is seen saying in the clip.

He continued, “Later on when you grow up, and 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.”

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That's not something you say and then get away with just because you said you were sorry. That's a heartfelt statement.

It's weird how you can forget a famous person ever existed, but then you find out they are a shitty person and it makes you sad.

Why do I care that Carlos Santana is a bigot? Abraxas used to be in my car's tape deck rotation, and he was everywhere in the late 90s, but I haven't listened to his music in probably over a decade.

And yet, I find myself really disappointed in him.

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The thing about bigoted statements is you have to take it back, not just feel bad that you said it

The other thing about them is you can't really take them back; you've revealed yourself. As a queer-positive person, why would I support him when there are so many other artists I could support who don't have bigoted beliefs?

Just keep your hate to yourself. It does no good to put it out into the world.

Well, sometimes people can make statements because they don't understand. They can realize they were an asshole and change their mind about things. This may or may not be the case. Anyway, I think it's a good thing that he didn't double down.

True. Like there’s room to learn and change and be forgiven. But the bad doesn’t disappear.

Also like seriously it’s a weird time and situation for people like him to come out as publicly transphobic. Like Chappelle fell into it in the way many comedians do, an out of touch old person learning that classic punching bags are now comfortable calling people out. But like if you’d asked me what an old rock star thought of trans people I probably would’ve responded with “not good”. Like I bet his views on lots of things are iffy at best. And like I definitely wasn’t assuming he had any interaction with trans people beyond looking for drugs and prostitutes, given him being an old rock star.

You really apply some kind of ideology test when choosing which artist's work to enjoy?

EDIT: Perhaps this hinges on what you mean by "support"

I'm not obligated to patronize businesses or artists who promote things I object to.

No one is obligated to patronize any business or artist (generally speaking). Obligation isn't the issue. But it sounds like, yes, you choose not support/patronize artists who have certain opinions you disapprove of.

I've seen this sentiment floating around the Internet sometimes, and it always strikes me as very limiting.

It's hilarious that a musician has the urge to say this kind of stuff during a concert. What did he expect? Like I can barely think about another topic where you can piss off so many people with so little effort.

Yeah I don't get why he'd say this if he didn't believe it. People are already marginalized for that position. Maybe he thought he'd get clout and support like some recent country singers but according to Wikipedia he does Rock, which has a fair bit of leftist fans if I'm not mistaken.

Maybe he's just a dumb old musician surrounded by people who let him believe his opinions are hot shit that has no idea how the real world outside of his utopia operates.

People who need glasses shouldn't wear them right? That would be messing with how god made you. Might as well not take any drugs for illnesses or you might interrupt god's plan. /s

Whoa whoa whoa. This is different. Because it affects me. And I am special. Slashees

He has a mustache, but shouldn't he also have a big long beard? He's going against how his god made him. Why is he shaving off his god-given beard?

This is actually also something certain religious sects get violently riled up about.

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I love when erectile dysfunction is brought up whenever these freaks bring up how God made them.

or wear clothes and cook food, because god made you nekkid and food should be eaten as god made it.

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Ugh, stop self-actualizing what you perceive to be someone else’s “kink”, Carlos.

Being gay or trans ain’t about the bedroom, it’s about everything. It’s not a kink. Love is love.

Also there is no god, grow the fuck up.

Mexicans stopped claiming Santana a long time ago, he’s always been an asshole

so, basically, “I’m sorry that you feel offended”? That’s not an apology.