Freddie Mercury has always tried to avoid discussing his sexual orientation publicly. However, it’s simple to understand his sexuality by looking at his relationship life.
He went into several relationships with both men and women. He even admitted that he was bisexual at a point in his life. Maybe he had to get intimated with men to develop his career in this homophobic world.
Whatever it is, we will have an in-depth talk about him and find out was Freddie Mercury gay or bisexual? What was his sexuality? So, let’s start the discussion.
Freddie Mercury Sexuality: Gay or Bisexual?
When Mercury was young, he used to date women. The most highlighted part of his love life was with Mary Austin. In the 1970s, they went into a relationship and stayed together for many years.
Mercury and Austin got engaged before she knew that he was bisexual. They later split up but maintained a friendly relationship. After getting separated, they were seen together several times. Mercury loved Austin so much that he willed her some of his estates.
Mercury was seen with men, including David Minns, German restaurateur Winfried “Winnie” Kirchberger, Paul Prenter, Tony Bastin, Joe Fanelli, and Jim Hutton. In 1991 at the age of 45, he died. At that time, when he had AIDS, Jim Hutton was there with him.
Now you have the answer to was Freddie Mercury gay or bisexual. It’s for sure; he was bisexual. Because gay people do not date the opposite genders, since he enjoyed his relationships with guys and ladies, he was a bisexual person.
However, Freddie Mercury’s parents didn’t know about Freddie Mercury’s sexuality. He never talked about his sexual desires with his parents since they used to hate gays or people who have physical relations with the same gender. According to his parents’ religion (Zoroastrianism), being gay is worshiping demons.
Did Freddie Mercury Label His Sexuality?
Freddie Mercury was infected with HIV and died from it. It was unknown to everyone how he got infected with AIDS. However, this virus was spreading super fast through the gay community of New York City.
Mercury then used to go to bars and nightclubs a lot. He had many one-night stands. Maybe that was the time he got the virus transmitted into his body. But this is just a guess.
Mercury, after knowing that he has AIDS, went silent. He didn’t label his sexuality. Maybe he was ashamed of doing gay activities and didn’t want to have any changes in his legacy for his sexual orientation. After keeping his sexuality private for a long time, he finally decided to talk about it publicly.
On 23rd November 1991, just before the day he died, he gave a statement. He said, “Following enormous conjecture in the press, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV-positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private in order to protect the privacy of those around me.”
If you carefully read what he said, you will understand that he did not reveal Freddie Mercury’s sexuality. Another statement gives a clear hint that he had fun with guys.
The New Musical Express asked him, “So how about being bent?” Freddie Mercury replied, “You’re a crafty cow. Let’s put it this way: there were times when I was young and green. It’s a thing schoolboys go through. I’ve had my share of schoolboy pranks. I am not going to elaborate further.” [ Wikipedia ]
Conclusion
Although all his life Freddie Mercury tried to hide his sexuality, through his activities and some statements, it’s pretty clear that he was bisexual.
Mercury didn’t go through marriages or have children; he only went into relationships with different women and men. Maybe he wanted to have both women and men in his life, which was not possible to have at that time through marriage.
