ROB HALFORD Shares Congratulatory Video Message On 250th Anniversary Of Independence Of United States Of America

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford took to social media on Saturday (July 4) to extend congratulations to America on its 250th-anniversary milestone.

In a video message, the 74-year-old British born musician, who has called Phoenix, Arizona home for the past four and a half decades, described the occasion as "an extraordinary milestone" and expressed his hope that America's future would be "marked by courage, progress, unconditional love and freedom for all."

Halford said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hello, America. Today you celebrate an extraordinary milestone. For a quarter of a millennium, your nation has been guided by the enduring ideals of liberty, opportunity and self-government. While your journey has not been easy, each generation has worked to move your country closer to its highest principles.

"This anniversary is more than a celebration of the past. It's your shared responsibility for the future. The freedoms you enjoy, the diversity that strengthens you and the spirit of innovation that defines you are all part of a legacy entrusted to you. As you honor those who came before you, inspire those who will follow.

"May you continue to build a nation that values unity, hope and service to your country.

"Happy two hundred and fiftieth birthday, America. May the next two hundred and fifty years be marked by courage, progress, unconditional love and freedom for all.

"Thank you, and keep the metal faith loud and proud."

Last September, Rob, who publicly declared his homosexuality back in 1998 during an appearance on MTV News, told the Queer The Music podcast that "America is still incredibly homophobic. I've lived here for a long time and I've seen a lot happen since the '80s. It really gets me angry and upset."

Halford pointed out that fans at JUDAS PRIEST shows are generally very accepting, and that his own sexuality has nothing to do with the band's concerts.

"When I walk out on stage, when PRIEST is doing headline tours and I know that everybody has come there to see this band and hear the songs that we've made and watch us perform, surely they're there with complete acceptance in their heart," he said. "Everybody in that room is, like, 'Well, we don't care' — as they shouldn't. They shouldn't care. This labeling, it shouldn't be a part of anything. They shouldn't care. It's about what you're doing. It's about your art and your craft and your work. That's all that matters."

Back in 2018, Halford told Newsweek that he was "not a Donald Trump supporter," explaining that the U.S. president's policies during his first term in the White House had turned political divides into chasms and alienated minority groups like the LGBTQ community.

"It's a very shaky time right now," Rob said at the time. "I have so much faith in this country. But it does seem as though the brakes have been slapped on. It's indeed disturbing, and it's such a shame, because throughout the Obama administration, tremendous things were achieved on the basis of human equality. That's the issue here. Treating one bunch of people this way, and treating this bunch that way. You can't do that. You have to give everybody the same rights."

Halford acknowledged that many PRIEST fans wouldn't agree with those views, saying that "there's a ton of metalheads that are supportive of [the Trump] administration." But, he added, "That's great. That's okay. You're not bringing that to the show. We're there to all join together, and that is the beautiful thing about a free, transparent society — which we don't appear to have right now. Some fans are completely opposite to me politically. But we can still be in the same room and have a good time and hopefully have a good discussion while respecting each other's opinions."

In his 2020 autobiography "Confess", Halford described in detail how was advised to be discreet about his homosexuality given the macho hetero nature of the metal world, even though his PRIEST bandmates and their management knew he was gay and were accepting.

"Confess" arrived in September 2020 via Hachette Books. It was written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx.

A poll showed that a quarter of Americans identify as something other than straight. In the U.K., meanwhile, one in five young people identify as somewhere between straight and gay.

In "Confess", Halford revealed that he knew he was gay during a time when gay men were "full-on persecuted" in his native United Kingdom. He came out to his parents three years later.

"God made me this way," he told People. "This was placed inside of me. This is who I am."