Boy George says people ‘want to be offended’ by gender pronouns

Singer has previously been accused of being transphobic

Boy George has said “people want to be offended” when it comes to the use of gender pronouns.

The singer, who came under fire earlier this year for saying that choosing a pronoun such as “they” is a “modern form of attention-seeking”, made the new comments in an interview with The Sunday Times.

On the topic of cancel culture and causing outrage with his tweets, George said: “The area we get into trouble is what it is permissible to say to a gay person. ‘Address me as this, address me as that.’ You know, having been through what I went through to be who I am, I feel a little bit reluctant to pander to this idea of…

“When I was growing up nobody used the term ‘transgender’, because it was almost like a medical term. So this transgender thing is new, and, for our generation, it’s just getting our heads round it. But people want to be offended, because they think that whatever’s going on for them is much more important than anything else.”

He continued: “But I’ll call you whatever you want. I’ve spent years calling people fake names. Boy George. Siouxsie Sioux. Johnny Rotten. Of course, it’s not the same as your sexuality.”

A movie about the life and career of the Culture Club frontman is currently in the works. George was a chart fixture during the 1980s, with hits such as “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and “Karma Chameleon”.

He became famous for his sense of style and androgyny and was addicted to heroin for many years. He was arrested for cocaine possession in 2005 and three years later served time in prison for the assault and false imprisonment of a male escort.

George's latest album This Is What I Dub, Vol 1 is out now.