Carlos Santana Apologizes for His Anti-Trans, Pro-Chappelle Concert Rant
“I sincerely apologize to the transgender community and everyone I offended.”

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Musician Carlos Santana issued a groveling apology Thursday for a bizarre anti-trans rant that he gave while performing in New Jersey last month. During the outburst, the guitarist said “a woman is a woman and a man is a man.” “That’s it,” he added. “Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business.” He went on to indicate that he had the same beliefs as comedian Dave Chappelle, who has been criticized for making transphobic jokes. “I am sorry for my insensitive comments,” Santana, 76, wrote in a statement on Facebook. “They don’t reflect that I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs. I realize that what I said hurt people and that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to the transgender community and everyone I offended.” He went on to say: “I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not.”
I am sorry for my insensitive comments. They don’t reflect that I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and...
Posted by Carlos Santana on Thursday, August 24, 2023
Carlos Santana goes on anti-trans rant during New Jersey concert:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) 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… a woman is a woman and a man is a man.” pic.twitter.com/fss8d4qukK
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
