Rock legend Carlos Santana drew loud cheers from a New Jersey concert crowd after he dismissed gender ideology and plainly stated that there are only two options: male or female.
“When God made you and me — before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are. Later on, when you grow out of it, you see things, and you start believing that you could be something that sounds good, but you know it ain’t right,” Santana told the crowd. “Because a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it,” he continued, drawing cheers. “Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that.”
Santana also praised comedian Dave Chappelle, who was the target of a number of smear campaigns and boycotts after poking fun at gender ideology last year.
Last night at a concert in New Jersey, rock legend Carlos Santana said “when God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are… a woman is a woman and a man is a man.”
pic.twitter.com/zCZibZIkM2— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 24, 2023
Santana’s comments have since been labeled as “bigoted” and “anti-trans” by a number of mainstream media outlets, prompting him to issue a statement to Billboard.
“Here is my personal goal that I strive to achieve every day. I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not. This is the planet of free will and we have all been given this gift,” Santana told the outlet. “I will now pursue this goal to be happy and have fun, and for everyone to believe what they want and follow in your hearts without fear. It takes courage to grow and glow in the light that you are and to be true, genuine, and authentic. We grow and learn to shine our light with Love and compliments. Have a glorious existence. Peace.”
Santana is not the only rock star to issue a critique of gender ideology in recent months. Alice Cooper recently told Sterogum that he is firmly opposed to “gender-affirming care” for minors, calling the transgender movement a “fad.”
“I’m understanding that there are cases of transgender, but I’m afraid that it’s also a fad,” Cooper said. “I find it wrong when you’ve got a six-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and you’re confusing him telling him, ‘Yeah, you’re a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be.’”