Elton John has condemned Russiam homophobia during a concert in St Petersburg.
Last week it was revealed that a statue of Apple founder Steve Jobs was taken down in the city and cited as 'gay propaganda' after his successor Tim Cook came out.
John chastised this move from the Russian government during his show, and the transcript of his speech has since been uploaded to the singer's official Facebook page.
"I’m not big on technology, but I love my iPad! They’re amazing, aren’t they? The way they can connect us to the things and people we love..." the singer told the audience. "How dignified that St. Petersburg should erect a memorial to Steve Jobs, the remarkable founder of Apple. But last week it was labeled ‘homosexual propaganda’ and taken down!"
"Can this be true? Steve’s memory is re-written because his successor at Apple, Tim Cook, is gay?! Does that also make iPads gay propaganda?! Is Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music ‘sexually perverting’?!"
John went onto describe his own experiences in Russia as a performer: "As a gay man, I’ve always felt so welcome here in Russia. Stories of Russian fans - men and women who fell in love dancing to ’Nikita’ or their kids who sing along to ‘Circle of Life’ - mean the world to me."
"If I’m not honest about who I am, I couldn’t write this music. It’s not gay propaganda. It’s how I express life. If we start punishing people for that, the world will lose its humanity."
Watch the video for 'Nikita' below:
It is yet to be revealed if Elton will be boycotting Russia himself, however his post has seemingly gone down well on his social media account judging from the wealth of supportive comments.
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