Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford was recently interviewed by Twin Cities about "what it is like to be an openly gay man in the United States in 2018", to which he replied:
Rob Halford singing on stage (Photo: Raul Zito / G1)
"Where do I start? I knew I was gay when I was 8 or 9. I've been through a lot of things, Stonewall in New York, a lot of similar things in England, it's been a damn job.
"When I was a teenager who understood it, I thought that when I was an old man, all this would be forgotten, the color of your skin, your orientation, your religion ... Boy, I was wrong ...
"With the current administration, it does not look particularly healthy at the moment, on the other hand, [it has changed a lot] so we can achieve this level of equality.
"There's still a lot more to do and it takes forever." Sometimes it's like a step forward, two steps back, but this type of challenge only strengthens us, you know?
"When I go on stage, the last thing I think about is that I'm a gay man in a heavy metal band, and for me that's a victory, there's something to be said about being there and not saying a word. I make a lot of noise in that scenario. "
Focusing on the importance of tolerance, Rob added:
"When people realize that they know homosexuals, it makes them face their own intolerance and homophobic tendencies, they are the ones who have to deal with that and face their prejudices, that's a win-win situation. "