Howard Donald: Take That star dropped from Nottingham Pride Festival after ‘anti LGBTQ+’ Twitter likes

Take That star Howard Donald has been dropped as one of many headline acts at Groovebox’s Pride Festival after it got here to mild he’d appreciated various tweets that had been crucial of trans folks.

Donald had been on account of carry out on the Nottingham occasion on Saturday 29 July, which additionally options acts together with Horse Meat Disco, Essel, Sam Sax and a drag cabaret from stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – however he’ll now get replaced by one other act.

Social media customers had earlier questioned Donald’s inclusion within the Pride line-up, highlighting a few of his earlier Twitter likes, together with one calling for Disney to be “defunded” after holding a Pride occasion, and one other criticising an inclusive menstruation marketing campaign with the message: “Only women have periods! Men cannot menstruate. Transgender ‘women’ cannot menstruate.”

Other likes from Donald’s account included a tweet from controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate, claiming “the only superhero a boy should have is his father” and one other itemizing “realities” together with “there are only two genders,” “Covid was a scam,” and “obesity isn’t beautiful or healthy”.

Confirming his elimination from the occasion, Groovebox’s Pride Festival posted an announcement on their official Instagram web page, saying: “In mild of latest occasions, Howard Donald will now not be enjoying at our Nottingham Pride Festival on Saturday twenty ninth July at Binks Yard.

“We would like to offer our thanks to the public for alerting us to the situation this morning and also appreciate your patience whilst we spoke to the relevant parties.

“We are engaged on confirming a alternative headliner alongside Horse Meat Disco, Tayce, Danny Beard & ESSEL for Nottingham Pride and can make an announcement sooner or later.”

Donald has since deleted his Twitter account, and posted an apology on his Instagram story.

He wrote: “I’ve made an enormous error in my judgement liking social media posts which might be derogatory in direction of the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood and for that I’m deeply sorry and I do know I’ve let everybody down.

“I am really disappointed in myself and I am sorry for any hurt that I have caused by my uneducated actions I clearly have a lot to learn and it’s a priority for me that I do this.”

Earlier on Saturday, the official Nottinghamshire Pride organisers had tweeted to make clear that they weren’t a part of the Groovebox occasion, which isn’t affiliated with the town’s essential Notts Pride.

They tweeted: “It has been brought to our attention that there has been some anti LGBTQ+ endorsement from a performer at the Groovebox Pride Festival which has not been organised by Notts Pride.

“We are actually involved about this and we reject Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in our City.”

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Donald, 55, rose to fame in the early nineties as one-fifth of boyband Take That, alongside Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Jason Orange, and Mark Owen.

While Williams and Orange have since left the group, Donald is among the remaining three members, with the band headlining the King’s coronation live performance in May.

Sky News has contacted Howard Donald and Groovebox for additional remark.