Christ people. Read between the lines of that New Yorker quote. Prince is anti-gay. Done.

skywalker said:

Anyone asking that ? doesn't know Prince at all... [Snip - luv4u]

undisputedpurpleboy said:

Yep.

"I've got more holes than a golf course (That don't mean shit) "

DiscoMafia said:

Prince did a song with Ani DiFranco, an openly bisexual artist. I don't think he's homophobic.

They did a song together called 'I love you but I don't trust you.'

he doesnt mind appearing on ellen's show.


maybe the question should be is he a hypocrite?

Vendetta1 said:

I meant sex between persons of the same gender. In no way did I mean to affront any group of people. Please forgive me if I offended you or anyone else.

I based my response on something I read years ago about a confrontation Prince had with Sinead O'Connor.

skywalker said:

I hear you mate, though we can read much in to his lyrics about how he feels about things and is the most reliable evidence we have (papers and magazines can mis-quote, whereas his own songs can't). His lyrics aren't just persona - there's always been a lot of himself in his work.

Now, I did say that Prince couldn't be homophobic or ultra-conservative in my original post - but I was then shown an article where Prince appears to make homophobic remarks, based mostly on his newfound beliefs. He doesn't wear "girls clothes" any more (I've only seen him in suits for the past few years), rarely wears heels now and, overall, is more conservative in public. This also mirrors the ultra-conservative views of JWs.

And since reading that article (and taking in to account people's warnings that the paper that appeared has an anti-gay agenda and the fact that journalists often bias their interviews), it came to my attention that I hadn't really taken notice of a recent lyric by Prince (which, again, I find is a better source of information as to how Prince feels about a subject); the lyrics are from Colonized Mind;

Upload - a child with no father
Download - no respect for authority
Upload - a child with no mother
Download - a hard time showing love

I hadn't really thought about this verse much until now - but there we have it. From Prince's own hand and mouth, he is saying that same sex marriages with children do not work, it doesn't mean anything else. That is a homophobic statement.

As I said, I kinda still agree with people that Prince is not homophobic, as he hasn't come across that way to me before. However, with his new beliefs, I think he is suffering from institutionalised homophobia, so his new beliefs are not allowing him to be as liberal as he was before.

I'd like to know what people who have been vehement in saying "Prince is NOT homophobic" for their view on the above lyric.

kookooman73 said:

Perhaps what I have written about my help answer your original question to me.

And, an interesting point you make there. As the lyrics above are certainly about gay marriage, which you don't agree with either. So, those lyrics don't have to be generally homophobic in order to disagree with just one particular aspect of a choice a gay person can make.
[Edited 2/10/10 8:48am]

Mindflux said:

Well said.

Oh funky and free P, where art thee? We all miss ya buddy!

Mindflux said:[quote]

skywalker said:

I'm glad you asked. My take on these lyrics is and has always been the following:

Upload - a child with no father
Download - no respect for authority
Upload - a child with no mother
Download - a hard time showing love

From the first listen of this song I immediately knew Prince's references were about the millions of (and ever growing) single-parent households. His words are true as multiple studies have shown that children without a balanced home life which includes: love from both parents, discipline, nurturing, role-modeling, financial health and safety & security, contribute to avoidable neurosis, health concerns, trouble with the law, alcoholism, drug additction and relationship problems.

I think its more about the "new" way in which society is training its young -- without respect, boundaries, consequences (until its too late) and love4oneanother.

I don't know how you could interpret this as a reference to homosexuality.

If U look, Ur sure gonna find
thruout mankind's history
a colonized mind
the one in power makes laws
under which the colonized fall
but without God
it's just the blind leading the blind

The entire song is about "the man," "big brother," "the one in power" those who are tasked with directing our society and who make the laws -- our legal system is based on common law -- if the common majority population subscribes to a behavior and/or beliefs system, those beliefs become common and ultimately are written into statutory law.

Have you seen the latest Michael Moore film Capitalism? It really touches on this very subject.




///
[Edited 2/10/10 11:55am]

Mindflux said:

Oh please!
Those lyrics sum up what most psychologists say about single-parent families!
Narrowing it down to make it a homophobic statement shows that you're only seeing what you're looking for...

kookooman73 said:

Gay marriage isn't about emulating heterosexual relationships, it's about getting equal rights under the law.

Yeah I also take those Colonized lyrics to mean single parent households. He touches on the same themes on Old School Company as well when he says somethin about "no shorties with a baby carriage before marriage" somthin to that effect....

Gheez, how is this thread still going, yet one of Tame's mental rants left open? Just sayin'.

Prince aint anti-gay. He could give a rat's ass who somebody else is bangin' outside his presence and knowledge. Now if it's smack in his face well.....


Disco you said that if we met your friend we could tell he was gay from space. Perhaps your friend came off clownish and annoying and that's why he got the silent treatment. Assuming this story has even a grain of truth in it. Maybe it had nothing to do with "that guy is gay" and everything to do with "that guy is getting on my nerves."

Just a thought.


CARRY ON.

DesireeNevermind said:

It's only going to be smack in his face if he's watching two guys in action, and then you'd have to ask why is he even in a situation to be watching in the first place?


.
[Edited 2/10/10 16:29pm]

NouveauDance said:

I was thinking of two girls (well 3).....

DesireeNevermind said:

He loves women..

DesireeNevermind said:

Well yeah, I think we know Prince is OK with that kind of homosexuality!

NouveauDance said:

Only if he gets to play. If he gets kicked out the sandbox then he has a problem with it. Just sayin'



CARRY ON

DesireeNevermind said:

He loves to play and watch WOMEN... at least he used to. I couldn't say the same thing about men... [Bait snip - luv4u]

Shyra said:

You live and you learn.

Most people in the LGBT family do not consider it a "lifestyle" because it is who we are and were born as. Homosexuality does not just mean people of the same sex having sex. Some gay people do not have sex at all. We do not like being simplified to just a base level. We are so much more than that.

porfyrivrohi said:

not at all - I'm discussing it and keeping an open mind about it. as i've repeated in this thread, i find it hard to believe that prince is homophobic and that i hadn't really considered that lyric properley before. given the subject of this thread, I considered it in this context and, perhaps, i jumped at a conclusion.

i don't think someone who is asking questions in the hope of eliciting valid input should be accused of following some internal agenda! and, whilst i agree that the lyric is more likely alluding to single-parent families, its not beyond the realms of possibilty that it is about, or even just includes single-sex parents (and wouldn't there be similarities between the two anyway?) - only Prince could tell you for sure (about the subject of the lyric that is)

And, I'll add that, whilst I enjoy the track immensely, I do find some amusement in the naivety of the lyrics and how they are self-contradictory - Prince is singing from a dogmatic, religious viewpoint and yet is accusing mankind of sufferinng a colonized mind, whilst he himself is utterly colonized by his faith. but, its still a great piece of work.
[Edited 2/10/10 18:21pm]

Mindflux said:

Prince's lyrics fits in with his majority fan base which is heterosexual women. He loves women. His songs are devoted to women.

Does that make him homophobic? It is silly to assume it does. Gays and Lesbian amount to only a small percentage if any of his fan base.

DiscoMafia said:

Maybe it was something else? Did Prince say "I am not going to speak directly to you because you are gay."?
Who knows, maybe Prince was using some sort of make-believe inter-galactic communication introspective theory thats all in his own head and projecting it forward, believing it may bring him good luck to speak to another "through" someone else-- and even better luck if the person he is communicating with happens to be gay from space?

I'm just sayin'...

slakk said:

what the???

luvsexy10 said:

Did you actually read what I wrote? I am not assuming he is homophobic.

Furthermore, stating that his love for women does not make him homophobic is equally silly - the 2 are not mutually exclusive and, in fact, the more love he has for women, the more likely he could be homophobic. You also have no evidence to say how much of Prince's fan base is gay (the fact you have said "if any" shows just how out of touch you are - there are many gay contributors to this site and this thread!)

Vendetta1 said:

OK, perhaps "gay lifestyle" was a poor word choice. I stand corrected, but if "homosexuality does not just mean people of the same sex having sex," what does it mean? And if you "do not like being simplified to just a base level," why identify with any term associated with homosexuality? You're the same as any other human being, a male or a female, a man or a woman. OK, so maybe I don't understand what you mean by "base level," and I'm not trying to be funny or sarcastic here. I really would like to understand how you feel about this so I won't put my foot in my mouth again.

We didn't come up with terms to identify ourselves. We were given separate terms by people that hated us as a way of singling us out and separating us from straight society. Yes, we're the same as any other human being but people that hate us don't see it that way.