The metal scene as one would probably expect is predominately (extremely) heterosexual. As Kahn-Harris states, “Openly gay scene members are extremely rare”(Kahn-Harris 73). Given metal’s openly violent and masculine themes it’s very easy to understand why there might be a lack of (at least openly) homosexual males. Even though, “there has been absolutely no overt otganization of gays and lesbians within the extreme metal community’ (Kahn-Harris 73), might there be a significant amount of homosexuals drawn towards the scene as a vehicle for releasing anger and stress?
As Kahn-Harris states, “The only well known out gay man in the entirety of metal is Rob Halford”(Kahn-Harris 74). That seems like a pretty daring move on Halford’s part. Who is this guy?
Best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. Nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song, he is considered one of the most consistently powerful singers in the metal scene having possessed a six-octave range during his prime and is particularly known for his high-pitched, operatic, soaring vocals. It must have been so hard being a gay male in the limelight of such a masculine and seemingly anti-queer environment.
When questioned In 1998, Halford came out as gay publicly on an interview with MTV News. In the interview he states, "I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life, and it's only been in recent times it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address (...) something that I feel has a moment, and this is the moment to discuss it." So why exactly did he feel so uncomfortable to address the issue if everyone “already knew”? Maybe the fact that he was raised in a very religious Christian home? Maybe he felt other bands in the scene just wouldn’t accept him? Let’s hear the full MTV interview and find out what the real truth behind the matter is.
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