Blink and You'll Miss Freddie Mercury's Queerness in Bohemian Rhapsody Teaser Trailer

Rami Malek is a ringer for Freddie Mercury in the high-energy teaser trailer for the film about him, but his queerness and battle with AIDS are almost nonexistent.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

Read Full Bio

Tracy E. Gilchrist

May 15 2018 2:27 PM EST

July 23 2019 3:22 AM EST

Sorry to interrupt...
But we wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading. Your support makes original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Help us hold Trump accountable.

One-time Monthly

$19.67 $50 Other

$5 $19.67 $50

The teaser trailer for the much-anticipated Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has dropped, and while Mr. Robot star Rami Malek is a ringer for the Queen front man -- often shirtless, in tight pants, and sporting that signature moustache -- the trailer telegraphs his queerness only in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment.

Mercury, an iconoclast with killer pipes, and Queen rose to fame in the 1970s with hit after hit including "We Are the Champions," "Killer Queen," "Another One Bites the Dust," and the film's titular song. Closeted throughout his life, Mercury, who was bisexual, engaged in affairs with men but referred to a woman he loved in his youth, Mary Austin, as "the love of his life," according to the biography Somebody to Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury. Mercury became one the highest-profile celebrities to succumb to AIDS, dying at age 45 in 1991, but viewers wouldn't know that from watching the teaser for Bohemian Rhapsody.

At first glance, the teaser appears to straight-wash Mercury entirely, choosing instead to focus on furtive glances from female fans and Mercury's insistence on the operatic interlude in the megahit song "Bohemian Rhapsody."

But a closer inspection reveals the trailer does allude to Mercury's affairs with men in a three-shot segment that blips through what appears to be a gay bar juxtaposed with a shot of him about to touch another man, followed by a close-up of Mercury sporting a leather daddy look replete with aviator glasses, a cap, and his full 'stache.

Trending stories

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

Out and About with Karan Soni

Plastique Tiara reaches 4M followers—close to surpassing Trixie Mattel

Your Lovable Trans Auntie asks, "Where do we go from here?"

Broadway bound: The best hotels in NYC’s Theater District for every type of traveler

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

'Naked Gun' trailer: Liam Neeson dons drag, reveals strawberry panties

Cowboys & Queens U.S. tour by Jane Hilton: A modern American dream

Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources

Beyond Wonderland's accepting & unifying rave culture is needed more than ever

The Charles is Pacific Grove's new LGBTQ+ hotel

Dylan Efron dishes on his sexy back arch & Speedo pics: 'That's what I'm good at!'

Tracy Chapman's debut album turns 35: Watch these iconic performances

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

When Lady Gaga met Chappell Roan, she made sure to tell her this

Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring

Ranking NWSL teams by how gay the name is

Discover the power of Wellness in your life

Matt Bomer reveals his favorite 'Fellow Travelers' sex scene with Jonathan Bailey

Robert Irwin is stripping down & rocking tiny briefs in new underwear campaign

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes

Peaches Christ says she's been 'retraumatized' by police investigating drag icon Heklina's death

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times

"The only thing more extraordinary than their music is his story," reads the tagline across the images of the trailer. But there is no indication of Mercury's battle with AIDS, which due to his high profile and having been a beloved star helped usher in new awareness of the epidemic.

Out director Bryan Singer was slated to helm the film, but due to what was referred to as his "unexpected unavailability," according to the studio, and a "personal health matter," according to Singer, he was let go. With Singer gone, Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill, Sunshine on Leith) stepped in to direct.

The film, which will hopefully fully explore Mercury's loves, life, music, and death, costars Mike Myers, Tom Hollander, and Lucy Boynton (as Mary Austin).