Monday, June 16, 2014

Ricky Martin Sings Gay Love Song In Homophobic Morocco

From: The Backlot
A far cry from “La Vida Loca”, the lovable Ricky Martin doubled down against homophobia at a recent performance at the Mawazine World Rhythms Festival in Morocco last week.  Changing the pronouns of a popular love song, Martin turned a generic ballad into a declaration of pride:

It’s the way he makes me feel/ It’s the only thing that’s real / It’s the way he understands / He’s my lover, he’s my friend / When I look into his eyes it’s the way I feel inside / Like the man I want to be / He’s all I ever need.

As noted by Towleroad, this subtle swap is a particularly brave move, given Morocco’s less than accepting stance on homosexuality:

Under article 489 in Morocco’s penal code, being gay is a crime punishable by imprisonment. While there is something of a gay community in the country, arrests do happen. Just a month ago, six men there were jailed for being gay.

According to Think Progress, the openly gay Latin singer performed for a large audience presided over by Mounir Majidi, the personal secretary for King Mohammed VI.

Check out a video of the performance, below.

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