Architects Frontman Addresses Controversy Over Guitarist’s Social Media Post

It's been an interesting week for Architects, after guitarist Adam Christianson's reposting of a transphobic post on X (formerly Twitter) sparked a divisive discussion on social media about what was meant by his actions, but frontman Sam Carter has now addressed the controversy in concert for the first time.

Using opening night (Jan. 24) of the band's current European trek In Paris, Carter let his feelings on some of the commentary surrounding the band on social media be heard. Speaking to the crowd, he stated, “No one on this stage judges anybody for their gender, their race, and whoever they are in love with. We never have, we never will. That is not what this band stands for. And that is not what this band will ever stand for. We love every single one of you.” See fan-shot video of Carter's comments below.

What Did Adam Christianson Initially Repost?

What sparked the current controversy was Christianson's reposting of a post from political commentator Tim Pool, who quoted a video shared by American MMA (mixed martial arts) professional Sean Strickland. In the video, Strickland was doing a press conference and was asked about a comment he'd made years ago where he said if he had a gay son, he would feel that he'd failed as a man [via Sportskeeda].

An irritated Strickland then responded to the reporter, calling him a "weak fucking man" if he had no problem with his son being gay. The reporter pressed on with a question to Strickland about comments he had made about Bud Light's support of trans activity Dylan Mulvaney earlier in 2023. Strickland responded, "Here's the thing about Bud Light — 10 years ago, to be trans, was what, a mental fucking illness? Now all of a sudden, people like you fucking weaseled your way into the world," Strickland said. "You are an infection, you are the definition of weakness. Everything that is wrong with the fucking world is because of you. And the best thing is, the world's not buying it."

It should be noted that while Christianson reposted the tweet, it was later removed from his feed with an apology statement claiming that his posting was accidental, and that he did not support anything said in the video other than "Fuck Trudeau."

Despite the apology, fans were quick to question his motives and what the posting actually meant both on X and Reddit. Even drummer Dan Searle called the musician a "knob" for the post, a comment he later deleted. A rundown of the backlash can be found here.

What Happened After Adam Christianson's Post?

The controversy didn't stop there, as Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante reposted a tweet from Silent Planet's vocalist Garret Russell condemning Pool's post that Christianson retweeted. That led to the Spiritbox vocalist fending off additional transphobic comments in response to her post.  A closer look at the interactions can be found here.

And amidst LaPlante fielding comments about her stance on the trans community, Falling in Reverse's Ronnie Radke got in on the conversation. It was just last year that Spiritbox bowed out of a tour with Falling in Reverse after their fanbase became critical of Radke's transphobic stance.

Recognizing that Spiritbox were scheduled to tour with Architects, Radke asked, "Damn is Spiritbox dropping off the Architects tour like they did mine cause of transphobia? Let’s see it Spiritbox let’s see you not compromise your integrity and drop off the tour to stand in solidarity with your fans that feel unsafe." Spiritbox did not drop off the bill though.

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What's Next for Architects?

While opening night did yield Sam Carter's public stance on the recent controversy, it also provided the band a chance to get back in the flow of touring. Their opening night show in Paris at Le Zenith featured the live debut of their song "Seeing Red," as well as the return of the song "Deathwish" to the setlist for the first time since 2019 (per Setlist.fm).

Spiritbox are touring with them, and their opening night set featured the live debuts of "Cellar Door" and "Angel Eyes." Architects' Sam Carter even joined them onstage to perform the song "Yellowjackets."

Shows in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Norway are scheduled over the next week, with the current run scheduled to conclude Feb. 7 in Dubendorf, Switzerland.