Carlos Santana: ‘A woman is a woman, a man is a man’

During a late July concert in New Jersey, iconic guitarist Carlos Santana took a moment to address the audience on a subject he felt strongly about. Critics labeled his statement, where he mentioned, “A woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it,” as potentially “anti-trans.”

Audience members at the Atlantic City performance mentioned that Santana briefly stopped his show after the first song to speak to the crowd. After his remarks, he resumed the music. Footage of his statement made rounds on Thursday.

Last night at a concert in New Jersey, rock legend Carlos Santana said “when God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are… a woman is a woman and a man is a man.”
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— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 24, 2023

“When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are,” Santana stated. “Later on, when you grow out of it, you see things, and you start believing that you could be something that sounds good, but you know it ain’t right. Because a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it. Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that.”

Santana went on to express solidarity with comedian Dave Chappelle, who has previously faced criticism for expressing similar views. “I am like this with my brother Dave Chappelle,” he stated.

The iconic rocker later gave a statement to Billboard to clarify his stance on the topic. However, as the publication highlighted, he did not retract his onstage remarks.

“Here is my personal goal that I strive to achieve every day. I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not,” he said in the statement. “This is the planet of free will and we have all been given this gift. I will now pursue this goal to be happy and have fun, and for everyone to believe what they want and follow in your hearts without fear.”

“It takes courage to grow and glow in the light that you are and to be true, genuine, and authentic. We grow and learn to shine our light with Love and compliments. Have a glorious existence. Peace,” he concluded.