Queen’s guitarist Brian May has criticized the decision of the Brit Awards, which, as of next year, will no longer divide the categories for Best Male and Best International Artist into “male” and “female”, in order not to exclude non-dualists.
The decision was announced after Sam Smith, who presented himself as a non-binary person, filed an appeal to that effect.
Brian May didn’t soften the words in The Mirror: “It’s a decision that was made without thinking. There are many things that work well and that’s okay. I’m tired of people trying to change things without thinking about the long-term consequences. There are things that are an improvement, and some The other does not represent that.”
The Briton also said that he believes there is “a climate of fear, because people are afraid to say what they really think. I think a lot of people think: ‘Wait a minute, that’s not true’, but they don’t have the courage to speak up. There will be some explosion.”
Brian May also mentioned that Freddie Mercury, his co-owner at Cowen, would have a hard time dealing with the trend. “For example, Freddy came from Zanzibar, he wasn’t British and he wasn’t completely white – nobody wanted to know, nobody talked about it. He was a musician, he was a friend of ours, he was our brother. We never thought ‘should we work’ with him? Is it the right color? Correct sexual orientation?” It never happened. I find it scary that now we have to figure everything out.”
For BRIT Awards President, Tom Marsh, it is important that the Awards continue “to evolve, to become increasingly inclusive. This is the time to celebrate the accomplishments of artists for the music they create and the work they do, regardless of gender.”
