The singer of the band the 1975 defied Dubai’s anti-LGBT laws during a concert on Wednesday by venturing into the crowd and kissing a male fan on the lips.
Video footage taken by fans and posted on Twitter showed Matt Healy telling gay fans that he loved them and that God did too.
Homosexual sex is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, and the UK Foreign Office advises that public displays of affection are frowned upon and there have been arrests in the past for kissing in public.
Videos shared online showed the band playing onstage in front of a rainbow-coloured backdrop. At one point, Healy was seen to leave the stage and kiss the man.
Speaking to fans from the stage, Healy said: “I love you, bro. We’re all human, right?” Healy also told the crowd: “If you’re gay, I love you and God fucking loves you.”
He later tweeted:
But who knows maybe they will let me back in let’s just wait and see :)
— 🥾🌍 (@Truman_Black) August 15, 2019
A tweet containing footage of the kiss, which some fans suggested could put the man in danger, was later removed. It is unclear whether he was from Dubai.
The band are outspoken supporters of LGBT rights. Last year they helped finance a new LGBTQ+ community centre for London.
“You might wonder why it is needed and even ask yourself what exactly is everyone still scared of, but sadly I think stigma still exists even in London and we still have some way to go,” Healy told the Observer at the time.
He said he was a “bit wary of talking about” the project because he did not “want to appear to be virtue signalling”. But he added “Me and the others in the band all felt it was obviously a good thing to put our money towards.”
