Throwback Thursday Remembers…Ozzy Osbourne? Yup!

Now why, you may be asking yourself, would this overtly queer corner of the internet and this overtly gay man be remembering the "Prince of Darkness" Ozzy Osbourne for this week's Throwback Thursday? The guy who bit the head off a bat on stage (he thought it was rubber), the guy who bit the head off a dove during a management meeting (he knew that one was real!), the guy who purportedly advocated for Satanism and all things unholy (he didn't really, it was just theater). This guy? Absolutely. Why? Because sometimes our strongest allies come from the strangest places, and to deny allyship only speaks poorly of ourselves. Because Ozzy and performers like him are more strongly connected to the queer community than you might think, and if you simply listen to them and give them the chance, you'll see that allies come from all sorts of communities.

So what was Ozzy's connection to the LGBTQIA+ community?

Donations to AIDS and community causes in the late '80s.

In 1989, his guitarist Zakk Wylde made some homophobic remarks during a concert on New Year's Eve in Long Beach. Apparently, Ozzy had previously told Wyld not to say such things, as he told a CA radio station at the time, complaining that he was being blamed for Wylde's comments. "It's discriminatory, and someone's going to jump on your back for it." In response, Ozzy would make sizable donations to AIDS Long Beach and other community causes. This was a rare and distinctly "un-metal" thing to do at the time. But Ozzy, always the provocateur rabble-rouser, knew where he should stand in history, and simply, what the right thing to do was. Wylde would continue to be his guitarist off and on for years to come, so let's hope some of Ozzy's goodness rubbed off on him.

Clash with the Westboro Baptist church.

In 2010, members of Fred Phelp's Westboro Baptist Church were protesting outside the Supreme Court during oral (giggety!) arguments for Snyder vs. Phelps. The court was listening to arguments as to whether the church's protests of US military funerals constituted protected free speech. They'd been protesting the military funerals, reasoning that soldiers' deaths were retribution for America's "embrace and acceptance of homosexuality." The church members had created a parody of Ozzy's "Crazy Train" hit song (heard in the clip above). In response, Ozzy had the following to say:

I am sickened and disgusted by the use of ‘Crazy Train’ to promote messages of hate and evil by a ‘church'.

Earlier in the same year, he was equally ticked off when the curch protested the funeral of fellow metal singer Ronnie James Dio. Anyone as disgusted by Westboro as we are is definitely on our side!

His daughter, Kelly.

No, Kelly Osbourne's not gay, but she's always had an affinity and connection to the queer community, having been a supporter of The Trevor Project, Los Angeles LGBT Center, and other support systems for LGBT+ youth.. And I'm sure she would have influenced her father as well. Kelly Osbourne is a singer, performer, red carpet presenter, and has been connected to the fashion world. In 2019, she was asked to host the British LGBT Awards. When asked why she was a good fit as host, she explained to The Mail: "It’s the only community that accepted me. It was the only world I ever really felt comfortable in, because I don’t know what it feels like to fit in." She went on to explain the importance of the award show. "It is such an important event which shines a light on LGBT+ role models and those who are doing so much to advance the rights of LGBT+ people not only in Britain but all over the world."

Ozzy and Yungblud

The young singer and actor, who describes himself as "sexually fluid," "pansexual," and "polyamorous," has long held Ozzy in high regard. Ozzy and his wife Sharon appeared in the video for Yungblud's "The Funeral." Lamenting his friend's death, he wrote, "You have been my North Star for everything for as long as I can remember, from when I was misunderstood as a child to the way people thought I was just a little 'too much' or 'strange' in my life and career." He sang Black Sabbath's "Changes" at Ozzy's last concert in Birmingham, just two weeks before his death on July 22nd.

 

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And finally, if he was good enough for a gay community treasure like Dolly, he's good enough for us!

 

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Ozzy, rest in peace. We weirdos felt your support.

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