Carlos Santana said he’s sorry for the “insensitive,” anti-trans comments he made at a recent concert.
This week, a video emerged from a show Carlos did in July, where he said: “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,” he continued, “but you know it ain’t right, because a woman is a woman and a man is a man — that’s it.”
Carlos said: “Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that.” But then he expressed appreciation for Dave Chappelle, who’s made his own anti-LGBTQ comments.
After backlash, the 76-year-old “Maria Maria” guitarist took to Facebook and apologized for the remarks.
“I am sorry for my insensitive comments,” he began. “They don’t reflect that I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs. I realize that what I said hurt people, and that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to the transgender community and everyone I offended.”
Carlos again stressed that he wants “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.”
“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.”
The controversy comes after another musician, singer Ne-Yo, also faced backlash for anti-trans comments, for which he too apologized. You can read about that one here.