FREDDIE MERCURY / MARY AUSTIN: Was she infected with HIV? Did he unknowingly infect her with the HIV virus?

JCK writes

No. He once cut himself accidently and was bleeding and Barbara Valentin tried to help him and he screamed at her to get back because, once he suspected he had HIV, he didn’t want to infect her. Also, his dear friend Montserrat Caballé went to hug him but he stepped back to which she apologized for (she thought) offending him but Freddie replied something along the lines of, “No, it’s not that at all. You see, I have HIV and I don’t want to infect you.” (Edit: Freddie and Mary were not sexually involved after he came out to her as bisexual. Something similar happened with his college girlfriend too. Mary later said, “I appreciated him telling me he was bisexual or I might have continued to sleep with him and caught the virus.” He was involved with Barbara in the early 80s but did not continue sleeping with her once he suspected he had HIV because he certainly never wanted to infect her.) (Another edit because after reading someone say that “Mary said she appreciated Freddie telling her he was gay” I felt the need to clear that up. Let me be crystal clear on this, Freddie did not “tell Mary he was gay” but that he was “bisexual.” She later called him bisexual in the above quote. Contrary to what some people say online, Freddie never, ever came out as gay. He came out to his bandmates and Mary as bisexual.

He had a relationship with Barbara (whom some have called terrible names and said was a liar) in the early 80’s when he was almost 40 years old. However, David Wigg (Freddie’s dear friend and journalist) said he accidently walked in on them having sex. Freddie asked him if he wanted to join them but David said he’s just go get a cup of tea instead. If you read through my comments you’ll see quotes from Freddie on his bisexuality. He fell in love with women hard but he liked having sex with men and women. Brian has called Freddie bisexual and pansexual in interviews. He has also used the term “gay” as in the action/behavior but never has the band said Freddie was gay (as in an identity) because they knew him, knew many of his girlfriends, and thus know better. I’m saying this because their is a lot of misinformation online. Everything I’ve said is 100% verifiable. It’s time to stop bi-erasing Freddie Mercury.)

(Also, about Barbara being a “liar: ”This song tells the story of the separation of Freddie and his lover, and how he wants to make the most of the last moments they have together and go back to the way things used to be just for this one day because he doesn’t want the relationship to end on a bad note.

According to Peter Freestone, in his book Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best, “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” was inspired by Mercury’s relationship with the Austrian actress Barbara Valentin.

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