Egypt’s Musician Union has barred Elton John from performing at a private May 18 concert, citing John’s controversial decisions to be both homosexual and believe that homosexuals should be allowed to live in the Middle East. In the same interview with Parade magazine where John said he believed Jesus was a compassionate, intelligent gay man, the singer was also quoted as saying, “I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East—you're as good as dead.”
These incredibly inflammatory remarks upset union head Mounir al Wasami, who asked a German press agency, “How do we allow a gay, who wants to ban religions, claimed that the prophet Eissa (Jesus) was gay and calls for Middle Eastern countries to allow gays to have sexual freedom?” (Ha ha, he called him “a gay.” When did sixth-grade boys start running the Egyptian Musician Union?) It’s not clear yet whether promoters will push forward with the performance despite the ban, but al Waisimi did warn that his was the only organization “authorized to allow performances by foreign singers," so any appearance would apparently be considered a violation. Given its history of dealing with any person it deems to be "a gay"—including raiding a supposed "gay disco" in Cairo and imprisoning 20 people—here's hoping John skips the concert and stays home, where he can seek cold comfort in his millions and millions of dollars and fans.