June 19th 2023.
Legendary artist Sir Elton John has jumped to Phillip Schofield’s defense, branding the onslaught of backlash towards the This Morning presenter ‘totally homophobic’. Schofield resigned from his ITV jobs last month with immediate effect after admitting to the extramarital affair with a younger colleague, which he claims was ‘unwise but not illegal.’
Sir Elton, 76, has defended the television star and claimed a heterosexual relationship with a similar age gap would not have attracted such negative coverage. The acclaimed musician voiced his support of Schofield while denouncing the status of LGBT+ rights and individuals in America, which he likened to the treatment of the former This Morning presenter.
“Well, it’s all going pear-shaped in America,” he began. “There’s violence, laws enacted in Florida, which are disgraceful. There’s a law now that, if you visit a doctor in Florida, they can refuse to treat you if you’re gay, which I find just unbelievable. We seem to be going backwards. And that spreads. It’s like a virus that the LGBTQ+ movement is suffering.”
Speaking to Radio Times, Sir Elton continued: “I don’t like it at all. It’s a growing swell of anger and homophobia that’s around America. I don’t know if it’s around Britain because I haven’t been here that much. But I feel that the Phillip Schofield thing has been totally homophobic. If it was a straight guy in a fling with a young woman, it wouldn’t even make the papers.”
Schofield, 61, previously said he had ‘lost everything’ after admitting to the affair, and that the backlash had a ‘catastrophic effect’ on his mind. He alleged that homophobia had motivated criticism towards him, and pointed out the differences in responses to his affair and Leonardo DiCaprio’s relationships with younger women.
“Attraction is attraction,” he said. “It’s no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world. There shouldn’t be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in. We did first meet when he was 15, I visited the drama school. So, yeah, there’s a difference. It’s accepted by Leonardo DiCaprio, it’s not accepted if it’s in the gay world.”
With all of this in mind, Sir Elton is making sure to be a strong advocate for the LGBT+ community, and to stand up for those who are unfairly treated. His strong stance on this issue serves as a reminder to us all to continue to fight for equality and justice.
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