Gay heavy metal singer believes US is ‘still incredibly homophobic’

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford thinks the state of homophobia in the United States has changed very little since he came out roughly 30 years ago.

The openly gay metal singer shared his thoughts about homophobia in the U.S. during an interview on “Queer The Music” podcast, which is hosted by Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears.

“America is still incredibly homophobic. I’ve lived here for a long time and I’ve seen a lot happen since the ’80s,” said Halford, who publicly came out in 1998.

“It really gets me angry and upset. But when I go on stage and perform with Priest, some guys will say, ‘I love Judas Priest, but I’m not gay,’” the singer, who married his longtime partner Thomas last year, continued. “You know that thing – ‘I’m a huge fan of Priest, but I’m not a gay guy’ – that still lives with me now to some extent. It might be a fraction.”

However, Halford did say that Judas Priest fans have routinely accepted his sexuality.

“When I walk out on stage, when Priest is doing headline tours and I know that everybody has come there to see this band and hear the songs that we’ve made and watch us perform, surely they’re there with complete acceptance in their heart,” he said on the podcast. “Everybody in that room is, like, ‘Well, we don’t care’ — as they shouldn’t. They shouldn’t care. This labelling, it shouldn’t be a part of anything. They shouldn’t care. It’s about what you’re doing. It’s about your art and your craft and your work. That’s all that matters.”

He also discussed his coming out on the podcast episode, describing it as being “very natural.”

“It was just a pure stream of consciousness, just talking away. And so it just came into the conversation, and that was that,” he said while explaining that he revealed his sexuality while talking about another band.

“I heard somebody’s clipboard drop on the floor, because I had literally formally announced to the world that I’m a gay man,” Halford said. “So I did that show. I went back to the hotel, sat in the room, going, ‘What have I done? What have I done?’ And I was, like, ‘I don’t care.’”

Halford has joined Judas Priest in 1973 and has received multiple accolades such as a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2010. He is known for his powerful and wide ranging operatic vocal style and trademark leather-and-studs attire.

Halford recently revealed that Judas Priest is working on a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” that will feature vocals from Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July.

“Ozzy’s singing a line and then I’m singing a line, and Ozzy’s singing a line and I’m singing a line,” Halford said during a an episode of the “Full Metal Jackie” podcast. “It’s the first ever time in my entire life that I’ve been able to do a duet with Ozzy and I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that.”

While Halford did not have an official release date for the “War Pigs” cover, he did say it should drop in the near future.

“The green button’s almost ready to go,” he said. “It’s gonna be pretty soon.”