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Shamir, “On the Regular” (2014)
Shamir wastes no time introducing himself on his breakthrough single — what other song can make “Hi, hi, howdy, howdy, hi, hi” sound cool? With a Bible-referencing and autoerotic video, the then 22-year-old star reclaimed the disparaging satanic imageries associated with queer people and, although not without controversy, pushed for greater acceptance of queerness in the industry.
The lyric, "Gotta live my truth, not keep it bottled in / So I don't lose my mind" gives us life.
"Firework" by Katy Perry
It’s a little cringe now, but I remember when Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” was the song of Pride. The Origliasso sisters relentlessly spit their lines out almost entirely in unison, so desperate that no words can convey it but a-la-la-las have to suffice.
Big Freedia, “Raising Hell”
Kesha’s never been afraid of raising a little hell in the name of what’s right, and on the lead single off her fourth album, High Road, the pop star recruited none other than Big Freedia to help call forth the holy spirit in the face of fire and brimstone.
Furman beautifully captured the body dysphoria that trans and non-binary people often face in the funky and freeing “Body Was Made.” She declares, “Your body is yours at the end of the day / And don’t let the hateful try and take it away.”
P!nk, “Raise Your Glass” (2010)
The outspoken ally’s toast to underdogs was a Hot 100 No.
1 in December 2010 and features scenes from a gay marriage in its music video, inspired by her best friend’s wedding. “So many people feeling unloved. His unabashed individualism and embrace of hookup culture made him a trailblazer in the world of hip hop, but nobody would have paid attention if the song wasn’t an absolute bop.
And when you need that little extra boost of confidence, music’s got your back.
Brothers Osborne, “Younger Me” (2021)
Brothers Osborne singer TJ Osborne made history when he publicly came out in early 2021, thereby becoming the first openly gay artist in music history signed to a major country label.
“I see your true colors / And that’s why I love you," she sings. She has parlayed her fierce drag persona into a groundbreaking pop career, which is certainly the case with 2018’s “Problema Seu,” a fiery ode to leaving expectations behind. Recorded at the height of America's AIDS crisis and inspired by New York’s underground gay ball scene (famously documented in the 1991 film Paris Is Burning), Madonna’s deep-house–inflected 1990 smash commands you to leave the heavy stuff aside—if only for a few minutes—and find salvation on the dance floor.
The song maintained its place in lesbian culture when it was covered on Glee by Naya Rivera, Idina Menzel and Chris Colfer in the episode where Rivera’s character, Santana, came out to her parents.
Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car” (1988)
Tracy Chapman is famously a private person, and that includes her sexuality.
Hell yes!
Will (Eric McCormack) is singing the song in the mirror while shaving, to which Grace (Debra Messing) quips, “We’re just like 50 men and a mirror ball away from being a gay disco.”
George Michael, “Freedom! "So don’t be afraid to let them show / Your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow.”
"Raise Your Glass" by Pink
We dare you to turn on this song and not get to dancing.
It encourages us to be our authentic selves. Today, ‘I Will Survive’ carries all of that baggage, and lifts it up along with the spirits of anyone who hears its message. The pop star didn’t appear in the video himself, instead putting his words in the mouths of godly women from the golden age of supermodels—Campbell, Evangelista, Turlington, Crawford.
Waters’ signature hit connected with a new generation of listeners on season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race in a fierce Lip Sync for Your Life between Denali and Kahmora Hall.