(KTLA) — Guitar legend Carlos Santana has issued an apology for recent controversial comments he made during one of his concerts.
On Thursday, a video surfaced of Santana going on a bit of a rant during a concert last month in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Many felt his words were offensive to those in the transgender community.
“When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are. Later on, when you grow out of it, you see things, and you start believing that you could be something that sounds good, but you know it ain’t right,” he said on stage. “Because a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it. Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that.”
The clip was seen across several outlets, including Consequence of Sound.
Following the backlash of these comments, the 76-year-old “Smooth” rocker issued an apology on Facebook on Thursday, but it appears it’s since been deleted.
This is the message from the social media platform that was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
“I am sorry for my insensitive comments. 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.”
On Friday morning, he posted a new message that read: “The energy of consciousness generates its own kind. Hate begets hate. Love begets love.”