The 1975’s Matt Healy defies Dubai’s anti-gay laws by kissing a man in the crowd during concert
- Footage taken by a fan shows Matt Healy venture into crowd during Dubai gig
- He shares a kiss with a male fan before telling crowd that ‘God loves them’
- Homosexuality in the country is currently illegal and punishable by prison
Matt Healy, the frontman of British band The 1975, has defied Dubai’s anti-LGBT laws by kissing a man on the lips during their first gig in the strict country.
Footage taken by an audience member shows the singer venturing into the crowd before sharing smooch with an admirer amid loud cheering during the show on Wednesday.
The Somebody Else hitmaker, 30, then told the crowd: ‘I love you, bro. We’re all human, right?’.
Matt Healy, the frontman of British band The 1975, has defied Dubai’s anti-LGBT laws by kissing a man on the lips during their first gig in the strict country
He also tells his fans: ‘If you’re gay, I love you and God f**king loves you.’
Homosexuality in the United Arab Emirates is currently illegal and showing public displays of affection is frowned upon and punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Videos shared online show the band performing against a rainbow background – a symbol of the LGBT community – before Matt left the stage to kiss the fan during their rendition of Loving Someone.
But the footage was later removed after fans suggested it could put the man who was kissed in danger. It is unclear if the fan was from Dubai.
He then tweeted: ‘But who knows maybe they will let me back in let’s just wait and see’
The Chocolate singer later took to social media to say he didn’t regret his actions, but feared he may not be allowed back in Dubai after the stint.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘Thank you Dubai you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my “behaviour” but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again.’
He then tweeted: ‘But who knows maybe they will let me back in let’s just wait and see’.
Cheshire-born Matt, who is the son of Coronation street actress Denise Welch, formed the band at school in 2002 (pictured July 2019)
The band, who are set to headline Reading and Leeds festival next week, have previously campaigned for gay rights and helped to fund a new LGBT community centre in London.
Speaking about the new venture, the singer said: ‘You might wonder why it is needed, and even ask yourself what exactly is everyone still scared of, but sadly, I think stigma still exists even in London and we still have some way to go.’
The 1975 have also used the voice of climate change activist Greta Thunberg on the first track of their upcoming album Notes on a Conditional Form due to be released in February.
Cheshire-born Matt, who is the son of Coronation street actress Denise Welch, formed the band at school in 2002 and has since seen all three studio albums shoot to number one.