Hozier slams right-wing pundits for using LGBTQ+ folks as ‘scapegoats when things get difficult’
Hozier says politicians are ‘drumming up fear-mongering’ about the LGBTQ+ community to distract from the real issues that need to be addressed in society. (Getty Images)
Accidental sapphic icon Hozier has once again come out swinging for his queer fans, saying LGBTQ+ folks shouldn’t be “scapegoated when things get difficult”.
The Irish musician, real name Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, captured the hearts of queer women with his romantic, poetic and intense lyrics. It’s one of the reasons he’s been dubbed by fans as their “favourite lesbian”.
With that power comes great queer responsibility, and Hozier has shown he has no time for anti-LGBTQ+ hate since the start of his career.
In an interview with NME, the singer-songwriter spoke about why he’s used his platform to speak out for the LGBTQ+ community.
Hozier described how there’s “always been space in [his] work for [his] conscience” and the way he views peoples’ responsibilities in a shared society. He’s also realised there’s a movement to use the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised groups as scapegoats “when things get difficult” for those in power.
“I’m acutely aware – increasingly aware – that there’s always a portion of the population who are at risk of becoming scapegoated when things get difficult,” he said.
“Political leaders do not have easy answers for the enormous questions they’re faced with – or even difficult answers, which are oftentimes more important for the difficult challenges that we all face with regard systems as they fail us collectively.
“And so oftentimes the easiest thing to do is hop on culture war issues, hop on a scapegoat [and] drum up some fear-mongering.
“And the minorities in that society are invariably the first to be targeted.
“I think we’re witnessing that increasingly with the LGBTQ+ community and particularly the trans community.”
Hozier has shown his LGBTQ+ allyship multiple times during his decade-long career
In March, the “Eat Your Young” hitmaker joined a slew of other musicians for “Love Rising”, an event intended to push back against anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Tennessee.
Hozier took to the stage to praise the queer community for standing up in a “very revolutionary act” against “political repression and suppression and fear-mongering, artificially-generated fear-mongering and scapegoating”.
The “Cherry Wine” singer also said everyone should show that they believe in “human decency” by using trans people’s names and pronouns.
“If you believe in a free and open society, part of that is respecting and supporting your fellow citizens’ rights to be who they are,” he said.
“For me, it’s a question of decency and showing up. It’s a very simple question of human decency when you treat someone with respect, you treat them with respect whether that’s their pronoun, their name.
“It’s so simple … it really is. These things aren’t that complicated.”
Back in 2020, the Grammy-nominated talent emphatically stated “trans rights are human rights” in a powerful message on Twitter, now known as X. He said trans people are loved, seen and “deserve to be happy and respected” for who they are.
A year earlier, Hozier waved a trans Pride flag on stage during a London concert before putting the colourful flag behind him for the rest of the show.
When he first learned of his “lesbian cult following”, the singer called his queer female fandom “amazing” and implored them to “keep being awesome”.
