Carlos Santana stuns fans at concert: Transgender people should âstay in the closetâ

Singer Carlos Santana stunned some of his fans after seemingly out of nowhere sharing his thoughts on transgender people during a recent concert in New Jersey.

In the now-viral speech, the “Black Magic Woman” singer suggested that trans people “stay in the closet” and even expressed solidarity with Dave Chapelle, the controversial comedian known for his anti-trans material.

“When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are,” the Grammy-winning musician told the audience at a recent show in Atlantic City.

“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. Because a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it,” the 76-year-old added.

“Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that,” he said.

At the end of the clip — which was reportedly recorded late last month but only gained online traction this week — Santana is seen bringing his hands together and saying, “I am like this with my brother Dave Chappelle.”

Chappelle, who has for long used transphobic material as a key part of his comedic arsenal, often jokes about trans women and their genitalia, claims that “gender is a fact,” and says LGBTQ people are “too sensitive.”

After the clip of Santana made its way around the internet, some of the “Smooth” singer’s fans took to social media to express their disappointment.

“I didn’t have Carlos Santana being openly transphobic on my bingo card for today but here we are,” wrote user Liz Sage on Thursday.

“Just found out that Carlos Santana is a transphobic bigoted a—hole and this is [a] huge disappointment because he’s an awesome musician,” added @realXanderXjork.

The incident is “more sad proof that you can be a brilliant musician and still get suckered into being a bigot,” wrote another.

Reps for Santana didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily News, but in a statement to Billboard, the Mexican-born guitarist elaborated on his comments.

“Here is my personal goal that I strive to achieve every day. I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not,” he said. “This is the planet of free will and we have all been given this gift … for everyone to believe what they want and follow in your hearts without fear. It takes courage to grow and glow in the light that you are and to be true, genuine, and authentic.”