Welsh pop star Ian 'H' Watkins of Steps has spoken out on the reason why the band turned down a lucrative gig in Dubai. The 47-year-old, who is a proud gay man and the organiser of Cowbridge Pride, said the band cancelled the "pot of gold gig" in the country due to its strict laws against homosexuality.
He said a clause in the contract for the gig in the United Arab Emirates, where same-sex sexual activity is illegal, banned the band from mentioning sexuality. Ian 'H' Watkins said his bandmates Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Lee Latchford-Evans unanimously chose to turn down the show due to laws Ian described as "horrendous" and "archaic" in a recent social media post. You can get more showbiz news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
“This week we were offered a gig, a show, and it was in a country where there's lots of oppression, where the LGBTQ+ community is treated so horrendously,” he said during an interview at Chippenham Pride. "And in the contract it said 'no mention of sexuality' and that really jarred with me. I'm at a point in my life now where my morals and what I strive for is more important than that pot of gold gig in Dubai," he said.
Later taking to Instagram to share a BBC news article on the band's decision to cancel the Dubai gig, Ian told his followers: "I will not be silenced. I will not be told that I am not equal. I will always stand up for those who do not have a voice."
Ian went on to explain that years ago, Steps did a gig in Dubai and he took a "small" stand by dancing with a man on stage and ending the show with the letters LOVE WINS on the screens on stage. "It was a risk," he wrote, "As I came off stage I didn't know if I would be taken away for questioning, or even jailed. I wasn't. It felt like a small win."
On the decision to turn down the upcoming Dubai gig, he wrote: “We’ve always said that Steps has an open door policy. A place where the LGBTQ+ community can live their best lives. Regardless of sexuality, gender, colour, age or ability… we are your safe space."
Later in the post, Ian wrote he will not perform in a country with "horrendous anti LGBTQ+ laws" and that the LGBTQ+ community are under attack, adding: "It's our responsibility to call out homophobia, transphobia, every phobia and bigotry." The pop star wrote he was proud of the band's decision and hoped his followers were too.
