Roger-Luc Chayer
(Montreal, November 4, 2018) The Gay Globe Group, responsible for the Gay Globe Magazine division, announces that it will not dedicate the cover of its magazine to a tribute to Freddie Mercury, as part of the release of the new film ( 2018) about his life and his work. The Globe Gay Magazine, for more than 10 years (The magazine has been around for almost 20 years), regularly covers the covers of its paper editions with personalities who take action, make decisions and make a difference in the development community of LGBT people. These personalities can have a positive or negative impact on the community. Thus, blankets were dedicated to Barbara Eden, Justin Bieber, Brigitte Bardot, Cyndi Lauper, Pope Francis, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Michel Jasmin, Michele Richard, Brad Pitt, the Sultan of Brunei, the Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew Arthur, Liza Minnelli, Vladimir Putin, Prince Harry, Barack Obama, Eric Duhaime, Clemence and many other personalities. Several readers of the magazine have been contacting the editorial staff for a few days to request a cover for Freddie Mercury, but it was decided not to retain this project. First, Freddie Mercury has never publicly announced his homosexuality, for fear of alienating part of his audience at a time when it was less easy to assume. He always hinted and believed that he could be bisexual in order to neutralize the rumor. Then, as we now know, Freddie Mercury contracted HIV late in his career and died of pneumonia in 1991, caused by AIDS-related complications. Freddie Mercury never wanted to talk about his illness because he told his entourage to be ashamed of it and did not want, once again, to displease an audience that loved him with a sincere love. However, by hiding his illness, Freddie Mercury has neither contributed to the advancement of prejudice against this disease, nor to the valorization of the affected people and especially, never agreed to contribute financially to the medical research or to the improvement of the quality of life of the affected people, through benefit concerts or other events. The Gay Globe Group therefore considers that the ingredients necessary to recognize the positive achievements of Freddie Mercury’s life on LGBT communities are absent from a tribute to him. Gay Globe Magazine will not be showing any cover with Freddie Mercury.