Is 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' the Biggt Gay Film History, Actually Gay?

Contents:

• BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: ALL THREE MUT OF THE FILM’S GAY SCEN CENSORED CHATHE QUEEN BPIC WAS FALLY RELEASED CHE THEATERS, BUT REFERENC TO FREDDIE MERCURY’S SEXUALY DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT.BY YOHANA DTAMARCH 26, 2019COURTY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATN.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEBOHEMIAN RHAPSODY HAS BEEN CENSORED CHA, MUCH TO THE ANNOYANCE OF SOME CHE THEATERGOERS. ACRDG TO THE NEW YORK TIM, THE QUEEN BPIC H THEATERS THE UNTRY LAST WEEKEND, BUT WAS AN ALTERED VERSN THAT OMTED REFERENC TO LEAD SGER FREDDIE MERCURY’S SEXUALY. PER THE TIM, THOSE REFERENC CLU THE SCENE WHERE MERCURY, WHO WAS BISEXUAL, DISCS HIS SEXUALY WH HIS FIANCéE, AND THE SCENE THAT TRODUC MERCURY’S FUTURE PARTNER, JIM HUTTON. IN ADDN, A SCENE WHERE QUEEN PERFORMS WOMEN’S CLOTHG HAS BEEN OMTED. ALL ALL, THE CHE VERSN OF THE FILM IS ABOUT THREE MUT SHORTER THAN THE ORIGAL RELEASE.OTHER TWEAKS WERE MA, THE TIM NOT. IN THE SCENE WHERE MERCURY REVEALS HE HAS AIDS TO HIS BANDMAT, THE DIALOGUE WAS SILENCED AND NO SUBTL WERE PROVID. MERCURY LATER DIED OF BRONCHOPNMONIA RULTG OM AIDS. A SPOKMAN FOR TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, THE STUD BEHD THE FILM, TOLD THE TIM THE PANY HAD NO MENT ON THE CENSORED RELEASE OF BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY CHA.CENSORSHIP OF HOLLYWOOD FILMS IS FAIRLY MON CHA. THE MOST EXTREME RECENT EXAMPLE WAS THE UNTRY BANNG THE WNIE THE POOH FILM CHRISTOPHER ROB, LIKELY BEE POOH HAS BEEN ED AS A SYMBOL OF THE RISTANCE BY CHE ACTIVISTS. STILL, THE CHE THEATERGOG DIENCE IS A LUCRATIVE ONE FOR HOLLYWOOD, SO STUDS TYPILLY YIELD TO THE CENSORS.BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY WAS A MASSIVE BOX-OFFICE H, STARRG RAMI MALEK AS THE BAND’S LATE, GREAT LEAD SGER. MALEK WENT ON TO W A BT-ACTOR OSR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE. HE DITED HIS SPEECH LARGELY TO MERCURY, SAYG, “WE MA A FILM ABOUT A GAY MAN, AN IMMIGRANT, WHO LIVED HIS LIFE JT UNAPOLOGETILLY HIMSELF.” THAT, APPARENTLY, WAS TOO MUCH FOR CHE CENSORS; THE MASSIVE MEDIA PLATFORM MANGO TV REPLACED “GAY MAN” WH “SPECIAL GROUP” SUBTL, THE TIM NOT.WHILE THE CENSORSHIP IS G TRATN AMONG CHE VIEWERS, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY WAS CRICIZED UPON S STATI RELEASE FOR FAILG TO RPECTFULLY EXPLORE AND CELEBRATE MERCURY’S SEXUALY. THE BPIC ALSO DRASTILLY MIMIZED THE SUPERSTAR SGER’S RELATNSHIP WH HUTTON, WHO WAS HIS PARTNER FOR SEVEN YEARS, UNTIL MERCURY’S ATH 1991.MORE GREAT STORI OM VANY FAIR—  “I WILL GET YOUR CHILD TO LLEGE.” INSI RICK SGER’S PCH TO L.A. PARENTS.— THE WAR THAT ULD TRANSFORM—OR TEAR APART—HOLLYWOOD— “I AM A FAT LADY, AND I SERVE RPECT”: LDY WT ON HULU’S SHRILL— WHY JORDAN PEELE MIGHT NOT WANT YOU TO TOTALLY UNRSTAND USLOOKG FOR MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY HOLLYWOOD NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS A STORY.JAY-Z, TA KNOWL, ANGELA BASSETT AND MORE TOAST 20 YEARS OF DEFG THE SOUL OF BLACK ART1 / 19CHEVRONCHEVRONPHOTOGRAPH BY ROGER KISBY.TA KNOWL AND MARK BRADFORDMOST POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYYOHANA DTA
• BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: STORY OF A GAY MIC IN
• FREDDIE MERCURY 'ME OUT AS GAY LYRICS TO H QUEEN SONG BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY'
• BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: THE TE STORY BEHD FREDDIE MERCURY’S RELATNSHIPSHERE’S HOW HE MET MARY AT, HIS FIRST FIANCéE, AND JIM HUTTON, HIS ROMANTIC PARTNER OF SEVEN YEARS.BY YOHANA DTANOVEMBER 1, 2018FREDDIE MERCURY BACKSTAGE WH BOYIEND JIM HUTTON; MERCURY LONDON WH FORMER PARTNER, MARY AT, BOTH 1985.PHOTOS BY DAVE HOGAN/GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHO WERE THE GREAT LOV OF FREDDIE MERCURY’S LIFE? PER THE QUEEN BPIC BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, DOWN TO TWO PEOPLE: MARY AT AND JIM HUTTON. HOWEVER, THE FILM LEAV OUT MANY TAILS ABOUT BOTH RELATNSHIPS, TWEAKG AND GLOSSG OVER PREC FACTS. HERE ARE THE TE STORI OF AT AND HUTTON, WHO ENTERED MERCURY’S LIFE AT CCIAL TIM AND REMAED CLOSE TO HIM UNTIL HIS ATH 1991.MARY AUSTININ 1969, AT WAS A 19-YEAR-OLD EMPLOYEE AT AN ENGLISH BOUTIQUE LLED BIBA WHEN SHE MET THE 24-YEAR-OLD MERCURY. AT THE TIME, HE WAS AN ASPIRG SGER, BUT HADN’T YET BEE ONE OF THE BIGGT ROCK STARS ON THE PLA. STILL, AT WAS TRIGUED BY THE “WILD-LOOKG ARTISTIC MICIAN.”“HE WAS LIKE NO ONE I HAD MET BEFORE,” SHE TOLD THE DAILY MAIL 2013. “HE WAS VERY NFINT—SOMETHG I HAVE NEVER BEEN. WE GREW TOGETHER.”THE PAIR QUICKLY BEGAN DATG. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY STEERS CLOSE TO THIS ORIG STORY, WH LUCY BOYNTON PLAYG AT. IN 1973, MERCURY PROPOSED. “HE GAVE ME A BIG BOX ON CHRISTMAS DAY. INSI WAS ANOTHER BOX, THEN ANOTHER AND SO WENT ON. IT WAS LIKE ONE OF HIS PLAYFUL GAM,” SHE RELLED. “EVENTUALLY, I FOUND A LOVELY JA RG SI THE LAST SMALL BOX. . . . I WAS SHOCKED. IT JT SO WASN’T WHAT I WAS EXPECTG. I JT WHISPERED, ‘Y. I WILL.’”MERCURY ALSO CEMENTED HIS ADORATN FOR AT WH THE BALLAD “LOVE OF MY LIFE,” (WHICH GETS A FAIR B OF PLAY BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY). HE ALSO TOOK HER TO MEET HIS PARENTS. “SHE WAS LOVELY,” MERCURY’S MOTHER, JER BULSARA, SAID A 2012 TERVIEW.HOWEVER, THE WEDDG WAS LLED OFF AFTER MERCURY ME OUT TO AT AS BISEXUAL, SHE TOLD THE DAILY MAIL. THOUGH THEY END THEIR ROMANTIC RELATNSHIP, THEY REMAED CREDIBLY CLOSE, WH MERCURY BUYG HER A HOME AND ALWAYS SPEAKG FONDLY OF HER PUBLIC.“ALL MY LOVERS ASKED ME WHY THEY ULDN’T REPLACE MARY, BUT ’S SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE,” MERCURY SAID A 1985 TERVIEW. “THE ONLY IEND I’VE GOT IS MARY, AND I DON’T WANT ANYBODY ELSE. TO ME, SHE WAS MY MON-LAW WIFE. TO ME, WAS A MARRIAGE. WE BELIEVE EACH OTHER, THAT’S ENOUGH FOR ME.”AT, WHO LATER MARRIED AND HAD TWO CHILDREN, TEND TO MERCURY AFTER HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS. WHEN THE SGER DIED 1991, HE ENTSTED MUCH OF HIS TATE AND HIS LONDON MANSN, GARN LODGE, TO HER, WHICH SHE STILL MATAS. AT ALSO FULFILLED HIS WISH FOR HIS CREMATED REMAS TO BE STTERED AN UNDISCLOSED LOTN. “NOBODY WILL EVER KNOW WHERE HE IS BURIED BEE THAT WAS HIS WISH,” SHE ONCE SAID. “HE WANTED TO REMA A SECRET AND WILL REMA SO.”JIM HUTTONIN THE FILM, JIM HUTTON (PLAYED BY AARON MCCKER) IS PRENTED AS A MEMBER OF A CLEANUP CREW WHO HAS A TTY, BUT ULTIMATELY FLIRTAT TêTE-à-TêTE WH MERCURY AFTER ONE OF HIS R HOE PARTI. IN ACTUALY, THE IRISHMAN, BORN AND BROUGHT UP COUNTY CARLOW, WAS A HAIRDRSER WHO MET THE QUEEN ONTMAN AT A GAY BAR THE 1980S, ACRDG TO AN TERVIEW HUTTON DID WH THE THE TIM OF LONDON 2006. THOUGH THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY SETTLE TO A SEVEN-YEAR RELATNSHIP, ENDG WH MERCURY’S ATH 1991, WAS FAR OM LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.PER THAT TERVIEW, HUTTON SAID HE FIRST MET MERCURY AT HEAVEN, A GAY NIGHTCLUB LONDON. THE SGER, WHO WAS THREE YEARS OLR, OFFERED TO BUY HIM A DRK. HUTTON, WHO DIDN’T REGNIZE THE SUPERSTAR, REJECTED THE OFFER. THEY DIDN’T NNECT UNTIL A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, HUTTON SAID A 1994 TERVIEW, WHEN THEY SAW EACH OTHER, ONCE AGA, AT A NIGHTCLUB AND MERCURY OFFERED TO BUY HIM A DRK AGA. THIS TIME, HUTTON ACCEPTED. THEY BEGAN DATG AND, LS THAN A YEAR LATER, HUTTON MOVED TO GARN LODGE. HE KEPT HIS JOB AS A HAIRDRSER.THEY STAYED TOGETHER, THOUGH MERCURY NEVER PUBLICLY ME OUT, WHICH DIDN’T MATTER MUCH TO HUTTON. HOWEVER, THE UPLE DID FACE UPS AND DOWNS. “I SAW HIM WH ANOTHER GUY HEAVEN AND WE HAD A HUGE ROW. HE TOLD ME HE DID TO MAKE ME JEALO,” HUTTON RELLED TO THE TIM. “THEN ONE DAY I SAW HIM LEAVG HIS KENSGTON FLAT WH ANOTHER GUY AND WE HAD AN ARGUMENT. I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO MAKE HIS MD UP.”MOST POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDOVER THE URSE OF THEIR RELATNSHIP, HUTTON WNSED HISTORIC MOMENTS, LIKE QUEEN’S SOARG LIVE AID PERFORMANCE 1985. “I WAS GOBSMACKED. YOU ULD FEEL THE EFFECT HIS STAGE PRENCE HAD ON THE CROWD,” HE SAID OF THE SHOW, WHICH HE WATCHED BACKSTAGE. “AFTERWARDS ELTON [JOHN] ME AND SAID, ‘BASTARD, YOU’VE STOLEN .’”IN THEIR DOWNTIME, HUTTON SAID THE QUEEN STAR WAS QUIET AND RERVED, A WORLD AWAY OM HIS SHOWMAN PERSONA. “HE LOVED HIS TS. I’D GET OM WORK. WE’D LIE TOGETHER ON THE SOFA. HE WOULD MASSAGE MY FEET AND ASK ABOUT MY DAY,” HUTTON SAID. THE PAIR KEPT ON FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, UNTIL MERCURY’S DIAGNOSIS WH AIDS 1987. IT WAS AN EXCCIATG TIME, WH IENDS LIKE JOE FANELLI, MERCURY’S OK, AND PETER FRETONE, HIS ASSISTANT, TAKG TURNS NURSG THE AILG SGER.THE UPLE’S LAST NVERSATN, HUTTON SAYS, TOOK PLACE A FEW DAYS BEFORE MERCURY DIED. “IT WAS 6 A.M. HE WANTED TO LOOK AT HIS PATGS. ‘HOW AM I GOG TO GET DOWNSTAIRS?’ HE ASKED. ‘I’LL RRY YOU,’ I SAID. BUT HE MA HIS OWN WAY, HOLDG ON TO THE BANISTER. I KEPT ONT TO MAKE SURE HE DIDN’T FALL. I BROUGHT A CHAIR TO THE DOOR, SAT HIM , AND FLICKED ON THE SPOTLIGHTS, WHICH L EACH PICTURE. HE SAID, ‘OH THEY’RE WONRFUL’.”AFTER THE SGER’S ATH, AT TOOK OVER GARN LODGE, REPORTEDLY KICKG HUTTON OUT, SPE HUTTON’S CLAIM THAT MERCURY WANTED HIM TO STAY THERE. HE WAS VASTATED BY HER CISN, HE SAID. HOWEVER, MERCURY DID LEAVE HIM WH £500,000 (NEARLY $1 LN, PER THE 1991 NVERSN RATE), WHICH HE ED TO MOVE BACK TO IRELAND. HE ALSO WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THEIR RELATNSHIP, SIMPLY TLED MERCURY AND ME.HUTTON DIED ON JANUARY 1, 2010, AFTER A LONG BATTLE WH NCER. HE WAS 60 YEARS OLD.20 DEFG NATALIE PORTMAN ROL1 / 20CHEVRONCHEVRONFROM ©COLUMBIA PICTUR/PHOTOFT.LéON: THE PROFSNALTHE 1994 H-MAN DRAMA TAPULTED 13-YEAR-OLD PORTMAN TO STARDOM AFTER SHE PLAYED MATHILDA, A WORLD-WEARY PRE-TEEN WH AN LIBLE BOB CUT AND EVER-PRENT CHOKER.YOHANA DTA
• CHA CENSORED THE GAY SCEN FROM BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: ALL THREE MUT OF THE FILM’S GAY SCEN CENSORED CHATHE QUEEN BPIC WAS FALLY RELEASED CHE THEATERS, BUT REFERENC TO FREDDIE MERCURY’S SEXUALY DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT.BY YOHANA DTAMARCH 26, 2019COURTY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATN.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEBOHEMIAN RHAPSODY HAS BEEN CENSORED CHA, MUCH TO THE ANNOYANCE OF SOME CHE THEATERGOERS. ACRDG TO THE NEW YORK TIM, THE QUEEN BPIC H THEATERS THE UNTRY LAST WEEKEND, BUT WAS AN ALTERED VERSN THAT OMTED REFERENC TO LEAD SGER FREDDIE MERCURY’S SEXUALY. PER THE TIM, THOSE REFERENC CLU THE SCENE WHERE MERCURY, WHO WAS BISEXUAL, DISCS HIS SEXUALY WH HIS FIANCéE, AND THE SCENE THAT TRODUC MERCURY’S FUTURE PARTNER, JIM HUTTON. IN ADDN, A SCENE WHERE QUEEN PERFORMS WOMEN’S CLOTHG HAS BEEN OMTED. ALL ALL, THE CHE VERSN OF THE FILM IS ABOUT THREE MUT SHORTER THAN THE ORIGAL RELEASE.OTHER TWEAKS WERE MA, THE TIM NOT. IN THE SCENE WHERE MERCURY REVEALS HE HAS AIDS TO HIS BANDMAT, THE DIALOGUE WAS SILENCED AND NO SUBTL WERE PROVID. MERCURY LATER DIED OF BRONCHOPNMONIA RULTG OM AIDS. A SPOKMAN FOR TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, THE STUD BEHD THE FILM, TOLD THE TIM THE PANY HAD NO MENT ON THE CENSORED RELEASE OF BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY CHA.CENSORSHIP OF HOLLYWOOD FILMS IS FAIRLY MON CHA. THE MOST EXTREME RECENT EXAMPLE WAS THE UNTRY BANNG THE WNIE THE POOH FILM CHRISTOPHER ROB, LIKELY BEE POOH HAS BEEN ED AS A SYMBOL OF THE RISTANCE BY CHE ACTIVISTS. STILL, THE CHE THEATERGOG DIENCE IS A LUCRATIVE ONE FOR HOLLYWOOD, SO STUDS TYPILLY YIELD TO THE CENSORS.BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY WAS A MASSIVE BOX-OFFICE H, STARRG RAMI MALEK AS THE BAND’S LATE, GREAT LEAD SGER. MALEK WENT ON TO W A BT-ACTOR OSR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE. HE DITED HIS SPEECH LARGELY TO MERCURY, SAYG, “WE MA A FILM ABOUT A GAY MAN, AN IMMIGRANT, WHO LIVED HIS LIFE JT UNAPOLOGETILLY HIMSELF.” THAT, APPARENTLY, WAS TOO MUCH FOR CHE CENSORS; THE MASSIVE MEDIA PLATFORM MANGO TV REPLACED “GAY MAN” WH “SPECIAL GROUP” SUBTL, THE TIM NOT.WHILE THE CENSORSHIP IS G TRATN AMONG CHE VIEWERS, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY WAS CRICIZED UPON S STATI RELEASE FOR FAILG TO RPECTFULLY EXPLORE AND CELEBRATE MERCURY’S SEXUALY. THE BPIC ALSO DRASTILLY MIMIZED THE SUPERSTAR SGER’S RELATNSHIP WH HUTTON, WHO WAS HIS PARTNER FOR SEVEN YEARS, UNTIL MERCURY’S ATH 1991.MORE GREAT STORI OM VANY FAIR—  “I WILL GET YOUR CHILD TO LLEGE.” INSI RICK SGER’S PCH TO L.A. PARENTS.— THE WAR THAT ULD TRANSFORM—OR TEAR APART—HOLLYWOOD— “I AM A FAT LADY, AND I SERVE RPECT”: LDY WT ON HULU’S SHRILL— WHY JORDAN PEELE MIGHT NOT WANT YOU TO TOTALLY UNRSTAND USLOOKG FOR MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY HOLLYWOOD NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS A STORY.JAY-Z, TA KNOWL, ANGELA BASSETT AND MORE TOAST 20 YEARS OF DEFG THE SOUL OF BLACK ART1 / 19CHEVRONCHEVRONPHOTOGRAPH BY ROGER KISBY.TA KNOWL AND MARK BRADFORDMOST POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHBILL MAHER BEEFS WH “PREACHY, MAN-HATG” BARBIE MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHJAMIE LEE CURTIS DIGS HERSELF OUT OF COMMENTS ABOUT SAG-AFTRA STRIKEBY EVE BATEYYOHANA DTA

This moment is one of several Bohemian Rhapsody that almost giv you a glimpse of the profound paradox of gay life before and durg the AIDS crisis, when queer culture, subversive and life-embracg, built self triumphantly at the edg of a society that refed to legimize queer inty even as gleefully exploed queer entertaers like Freddie Mercury. The rult is far more hurtful than your average unnscly homophobic film.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: STORY OF A GAY MIC IN

Bohemian Rhapsody is a movie that nscly tri to posn a gay man at s center while strategilly disengagg wh the “gay” part as much as n, fltg briefly over his emotnal and sexual experienc and fixatg on his platonic relatnship wh an ex-girliend stead. It tak a hell of a lot of work to make a queerphobic film about one of the greatt queer ins history, but even though Bohemian Rhapsody was sort-of directed by Bryan Sger, who himself is openly gay, the movie somehow retreads queerphobic stereotyp stead of givg a fascatg, plex look at a real gay man.

FREDDIE MERCURY 'ME OUT AS GAY LYRICS TO H QUEEN SONG BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY'

It also builds a whole annoyg subplot around the “predatory gay villa” trope, which is a tired, obnox cliché that Bohemian Rhapsody is even more problematic than ual bee ’s ed to imply that Mercury, a real-life gay man, was somehow rpted to beg queer by an opportunistic mic dtry parase who don’t really re about Freddie at all. And then, a few scen later, he haltgly nfs to his wife that he might be bisexual; she is the one who has to rm him, rponse, that he is gay.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: THE TE STORY BEHD FREDDIE MERCURY’S RELATNSHIPSHERE’S HOW HE MET MARY AT, HIS FIRST FIANCéE, AND JIM HUTTON, HIS ROMANTIC PARTNER OF SEVEN YEARS.BY YOHANA DTANOVEMBER 1, 2018FREDDIE MERCURY BACKSTAGE WH BOYIEND JIM HUTTON; MERCURY LONDON WH FORMER PARTNER, MARY AT, BOTH 1985.PHOTOS BY DAVE HOGAN/GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHO WERE THE GREAT LOV OF FREDDIE MERCURY’S LIFE? PER THE QUEEN BPIC BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, DOWN TO TWO PEOPLE: MARY AT AND JIM HUTTON. HOWEVER, THE FILM LEAV OUT MANY TAILS ABOUT BOTH RELATNSHIPS, TWEAKG AND GLOSSG OVER PREC FACTS. HERE ARE THE TE STORI OF AT AND HUTTON, WHO ENTERED MERCURY’S LIFE AT CCIAL TIM AND REMAED CLOSE TO HIM UNTIL HIS ATH 1991.MARY AUSTININ 1969, AT WAS A 19-YEAR-OLD EMPLOYEE AT AN ENGLISH BOUTIQUE LLED BIBA WHEN SHE MET THE 24-YEAR-OLD MERCURY. AT THE TIME, HE WAS AN ASPIRG SGER, BUT HADN’T YET BEE ONE OF THE BIGGT ROCK STARS ON THE PLA. STILL, AT WAS TRIGUED BY THE “WILD-LOOKG ARTISTIC MICIAN.”“HE WAS LIKE NO ONE I HAD MET BEFORE,” SHE TOLD THE DAILY MAIL 2013. “HE WAS VERY NFINT—SOMETHG I HAVE NEVER BEEN. WE GREW TOGETHER.”THE PAIR QUICKLY BEGAN DATG. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY STEERS CLOSE TO THIS ORIG STORY, WH LUCY BOYNTON PLAYG AT. IN 1973, MERCURY PROPOSED. “HE GAVE ME A BIG BOX ON CHRISTMAS DAY. INSI WAS ANOTHER BOX, THEN ANOTHER AND SO WENT ON. IT WAS LIKE ONE OF HIS PLAYFUL GAM,” SHE RELLED. “EVENTUALLY, I FOUND A LOVELY JA RG SI THE LAST SMALL BOX. . . . I WAS SHOCKED. IT JT SO WASN’T WHAT I WAS EXPECTG. I JT WHISPERED, ‘Y. I WILL.’”MERCURY ALSO CEMENTED HIS ADORATN FOR AT WH THE BALLAD “LOVE OF MY LIFE,” (WHICH GETS A FAIR B OF PLAY BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY). HE ALSO TOOK HER TO MEET HIS PARENTS. “SHE WAS LOVELY,” MERCURY’S MOTHER, JER BULSARA, SAID A 2012 TERVIEW.HOWEVER, THE WEDDG WAS LLED OFF AFTER MERCURY ME OUT TO AT AS BISEXUAL, SHE TOLD THE DAILY MAIL. THOUGH THEY END THEIR ROMANTIC RELATNSHIP, THEY REMAED CREDIBLY CLOSE, WH MERCURY BUYG HER A HOME AND ALWAYS SPEAKG FONDLY OF HER PUBLIC.“ALL MY LOVERS ASKED ME WHY THEY ULDN’T REPLACE MARY, BUT ’S SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE,” MERCURY SAID A 1985 TERVIEW. “THE ONLY IEND I’VE GOT IS MARY, AND I DON’T WANT ANYBODY ELSE. TO ME, SHE WAS MY MON-LAW WIFE. TO ME, WAS A MARRIAGE. WE BELIEVE EACH OTHER, THAT’S ENOUGH FOR ME.”AT, WHO LATER MARRIED AND HAD TWO CHILDREN, TEND TO MERCURY AFTER HIS AIDS DIAGNOSIS. WHEN THE SGER DIED 1991, HE ENTSTED MUCH OF HIS TATE AND HIS LONDON MANSN, GARN LODGE, TO HER, WHICH SHE STILL MATAS. AT ALSO FULFILLED HIS WISH FOR HIS CREMATED REMAS TO BE STTERED AN UNDISCLOSED LOTN. “NOBODY WILL EVER KNOW WHERE HE IS BURIED BEE THAT WAS HIS WISH,” SHE ONCE SAID. “HE WANTED TO REMA A SECRET AND WILL REMA SO.”JIM HUTTONIN THE FILM, JIM HUTTON (PLAYED BY AARON MCCKER) IS PRENTED AS A MEMBER OF A CLEANUP CREW WHO HAS A TTY, BUT ULTIMATELY FLIRTAT TêTE-à-TêTE WH MERCURY AFTER ONE OF HIS R HOE PARTI. IN ACTUALY, THE IRISHMAN, BORN AND BROUGHT UP COUNTY CARLOW, WAS A HAIRDRSER WHO MET THE QUEEN ONTMAN AT A GAY BAR THE 1980S, ACRDG TO AN TERVIEW HUTTON DID WH THE THE TIM OF LONDON 2006. THOUGH THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY SETTLE TO A SEVEN-YEAR RELATNSHIP, ENDG WH MERCURY’S ATH 1991, WAS FAR OM LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.PER THAT TERVIEW, HUTTON SAID HE FIRST MET MERCURY AT HEAVEN, A GAY NIGHTCLUB LONDON. THE SGER, WHO WAS THREE YEARS OLR, OFFERED TO BUY HIM A DRK. HUTTON, WHO DIDN’T REGNIZE THE SUPERSTAR, REJECTED THE OFFER. THEY DIDN’T NNECT UNTIL A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, HUTTON SAID A 1994 TERVIEW, WHEN THEY SAW EACH OTHER, ONCE AGA, AT A NIGHTCLUB AND MERCURY OFFERED TO BUY HIM A DRK AGA. THIS TIME, HUTTON ACCEPTED. THEY BEGAN DATG AND, LS THAN A YEAR LATER, HUTTON MOVED TO GARN LODGE. HE KEPT HIS JOB AS A HAIRDRSER.THEY STAYED TOGETHER, THOUGH MERCURY NEVER PUBLICLY ME OUT, WHICH DIDN’T MATTER MUCH TO HUTTON. HOWEVER, THE UPLE DID FACE UPS AND DOWNS. “I SAW HIM WH ANOTHER GUY HEAVEN AND WE HAD A HUGE ROW. HE TOLD ME HE DID TO MAKE ME JEALO,” HUTTON RELLED TO THE TIM. “THEN ONE DAY I SAW HIM LEAVG HIS KENSGTON FLAT WH ANOTHER GUY AND WE HAD AN ARGUMENT. I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO MAKE HIS MD UP.”MOST POPULARINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDOUR FLAG MEANS DEATH SEASON 2: EXCLIVE FIRST LOOKBY SARAH CATHERALLWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDOVER THE URSE OF THEIR RELATNSHIP, HUTTON WNSED HISTORIC MOMENTS, LIKE QUEEN’S SOARG LIVE AID PERFORMANCE 1985. “I WAS GOBSMACKED. YOU ULD FEEL THE EFFECT HIS STAGE PRENCE HAD ON THE CROWD,” HE SAID OF THE SHOW, WHICH HE WATCHED BACKSTAGE. “AFTERWARDS ELTON [JOHN] ME AND SAID, ‘BASTARD, YOU’VE STOLEN .’”IN THEIR DOWNTIME, HUTTON SAID THE QUEEN STAR WAS QUIET AND RERVED, A WORLD AWAY OM HIS SHOWMAN PERSONA. “HE LOVED HIS TS. I’D GET OM WORK. WE’D LIE TOGETHER ON THE SOFA. HE WOULD MASSAGE MY FEET AND ASK ABOUT MY DAY,” HUTTON SAID. THE PAIR KEPT ON FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, UNTIL MERCURY’S DIAGNOSIS WH AIDS 1987. IT WAS AN EXCCIATG TIME, WH IENDS LIKE JOE FANELLI, MERCURY’S OK, AND PETER FRETONE, HIS ASSISTANT, TAKG TURNS NURSG THE AILG SGER.THE UPLE’S LAST NVERSATN, HUTTON SAYS, TOOK PLACE A FEW DAYS BEFORE MERCURY DIED. “IT WAS 6 A.M. HE WANTED TO LOOK AT HIS PATGS. ‘HOW AM I GOG TO GET DOWNSTAIRS?’ HE ASKED. ‘I’LL RRY YOU,’ I SAID. BUT HE MA HIS OWN WAY, HOLDG ON TO THE BANISTER. I KEPT ONT TO MAKE SURE HE DIDN’T FALL. I BROUGHT A CHAIR TO THE DOOR, SAT HIM , AND FLICKED ON THE SPOTLIGHTS, WHICH L EACH PICTURE. HE SAID, ‘OH THEY’RE WONRFUL’.”AFTER THE SGER’S ATH, AT TOOK OVER GARN LODGE, REPORTEDLY KICKG HUTTON OUT, SPE HUTTON’S CLAIM THAT MERCURY WANTED HIM TO STAY THERE. HE WAS VASTATED BY HER CISN, HE SAID. HOWEVER, MERCURY DID LEAVE HIM WH £500,000 (NEARLY $1 LN, PER THE 1991 NVERSN RATE), WHICH HE ED TO MOVE BACK TO IRELAND. HE ALSO WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THEIR RELATNSHIP, SIMPLY TLED MERCURY AND ME.HUTTON DIED ON JANUARY 1, 2010, AFTER A LONG BATTLE WH NCER. HE WAS 60 YEARS OLD.20 DEFG NATALIE PORTMAN ROL1 / 20CHEVRONCHEVRONFROM ©COLUMBIA PICTUR/PHOTOFT.LéON: THE PROFSNALTHE 1994 H-MAN DRAMA TAPULTED 13-YEAR-OLD PORTMAN TO STARDOM AFTER SHE PLAYED MATHILDA, A WORLD-WEARY PRE-TEEN WH AN LIBLE BOB CUT AND EVER-PRENT CHOKER.YOHANA DTA

Bohemian Rhapsody also ref to pict gay men havg meangful and eply emotnal relatnships. And the pictn of AIDS as a punishment for gayns, which has found voice everythg om doomsday preachers to Stephen Kg novels, has historilly ntributed to the aths of lns by creatg a huge stigma around the disease, makg difficult for rearchers to ga public support the fight for the cure and g nsirable obstacl for many who are diagnosed to receive equable treatment.

After they break up — bee Mercury is gay — Mercury p for At.

Bohemian Rhapsody has to al wh the very real aspects of Mercury’s life, but don’t know how to, bee that way li homosexualy. The effect of this is that the film strongly impli that Mercury chose to be gay, to surround himself wh other queer people, at the risk of losg his “te” iends, his “fay.

CHA CENSORED THE GAY SCEN FROM BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

It perpetually relegat queer inty to the celluloid closet and then is baffled when queer people wd up intifyg wh horror film villas and wrg fanfictn that rests straight characters as gay. ” The film has been dogged by accatns of homophobia, and the film’s director, Bryan Sger, was acced of rape and sexual abe.

But as a gay historian, I keep g back to somethg else – the tragic history that’s glargly absent om this movie.

Gay men, the thkg went, were gettg bee of “risky” behavrs like havg lots of partners. The medil profsn’s view of HIV was so lored by the ia that was trsilly gay that at first they named the vis “GRID, ” an acronym for “gay-related immunoficiency.