Ricky Martin's October 16 concert at
the Choci Sosa stadium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras will proceed as
scheduled, despite calls from religious leaders to keep the singer
out of the country, Fox News reported.
However, citing the show's “erotic
content,” children under 15 will not be allowed to attend,
officials said.
An ecumenical group of religious
leaders had reportedly demanded that the Honduran government deny a
visa to Martin, who is set to perform in the country as part of his
Musica+Alma+Sexo (MAS) worldwide tour.
Africo Madrid, the minister of interior
of Honduras, earlier told El Heraldo that Evangelical and
Catholic leaders argue that Martin's nuclear family “is not the
type of family that the laws of Honduras and the Honduran society
wants to build and encourage to young people and the rest of the
population.”
The officials must act to “protect
the moral and ethical principles of our society,” Madrid added.
Martin came out gay last year on his
blog – writing that he was “a fortunate homosexual man” – and
subsequently talked about his experience in his memoir Me.
The 39-year-old Martin lives with his boyfriend Carlos Gonzalez and
his twin sons Mateo and Valentino.
Alberto Espinal told reporters on
Friday that the restriction on Martin's concert is “to protect the
mental health of Honduran youth.”
The singer's non-profit group Ricky
Martin Foundation works to eliminate child sexual abuse and human
trafficking in Latin American countries.
(Related: Ricky
Martin will lead Puerto Rico to “hell,” pastor Wanda Rolon says.)