LGBTQ musical artists have emphasized important issues through their music in the fight against homophobia for decades. Yet in recent years, many are using the industry to break the barriers of societal “norms.”
Even as some renowned artists of the LGBTQ community have become increasingly open with their sexuality and gained support from non-LGBTQ artists and fans, we continue to witness hate and backlash toward them.
22-year-old rapper Lil Nas X came out as gay in 2019 and recently released a music video in late March for his single “Montero (Call me By Your Name).” The video brought a wave of controversy as it showcased the Garden of Eden and Lil Nas X sliding down a pole to hell.
In the music video, Lil Nas X greets Satan by dancing seductively before killing him and taking over the throne.
This video touches on the vulnerability of LGBTQ artists as he directly embraces his sexuality throughout the music video.
“It’s a sign how things are changing,” Lil Nas X told Genius, a digital media company, during a March 29 interview. “This song and this album I’m creating is going to be a sign of the times.”
San Jose State music professor Robin Sacolick said homophobia is frequently present in the music industry, similar to every other workfield.
“Of course it is ignorant and I do believe that over a number of decades, attitudes toward gender diversity have significantly improved,” Sacolick said in an email.
She said the music industry itself is undergoing so much change right now where artists are able to control their careers more than in the past and Lil Nas X is an example.
Many people have referred to his music video as “Satanic” and some users on Twitter gave Lil Nas X backlash for “destroying society.”
Lil Nas X responded in a March 26 tweet, stating, “There is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. Me sliding down a CGI [computer-generated image] pole isn’t what's destroying society.”
After seeing the music video, NBA Basketball player Nick Young said in a March 28 tweet his children will “never play Old Town Road again.”
The backlash hasn’t phased Lil Nas X, however.
He said in a March 31 Time Magazine article that he hopes his video will open up dialogue about the continuing omnipresence of representation among LGBTQ youth, particularly within Christian spaces.
“[I] spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the shit y’all preached would happen to me because I was gay. So I hope you are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves,” the artist said in a March 27 tweet.
In response to the backlash towards Lil Nas X, Bonnie Sugiyama, director of the SJSU PRIDE Center, said people missed the message of what he was portraying.
“He wasn’t worshipping Satan but he rather be himself than be somebody who he’s not,” Sugiyama said in a Zoom interview. “Whatever consequences there may be for being who he is, he is acceptive of it and that’s okay.”
Many people have applauded Lil Nas X for what he’s producing and praised him for embracing his identity.
Sugiyama said LGBTQ artists have been around for a long time and controversy in their music videos still continue to this day.
Kehlani, an R&B artist and Oakland native who’s identified as queer since 2018, recently came out as lesbian in a TikTok clip shared on April 22, which has now been deleted.
“I finally know I’m a lesbian,” Kehlani said in the clip. “I am gay, gay, gay.”
Kehlani has always been expressive about sexuality in her music.
From her 2017 single “Honey” with lyrics “I like my girls just like I like my honey”, to collaborations like the 2019 song “Morning” with Teyana Taylor and her 2020 song “Touch me” with Victoria Monét.
All these songs inspire female empowerment, sexual freedom and expression.
Meanwhile, there’s plently of non-LGBTQ artists who take responsibility and support sexual orientation and gender minorities by advocating for their social equality.
Latin singer Bad Bunny dressed in drag in his 2020 music video “Yo Perreo Sola”, which brought controversy about his masculinity.
Bad Bunny challenges the concept of “machismo” by refusing to conform to the societal expectation of Hispanic men being “manly.”
“I did it to show support to those who need it. I may not be gay, but I’m a human who cares,” he said in a May 14, 2020 Rolling Stone magazine article.
Psychology junior and Mental Health Ambassador at the SJSU Research Foundation, Aaron Jew said the borders and barriers regarding sexuality must be torn down.
“I think it's wrong we hold both genders to such high standards,” Jew said in a Zoom interview. “We could really just see that there’s a lot of overlap between them.”
The British girl group Little Mix released its “Confetti” music video on April 30, where members dressed as men with a feature of the cast of Ru Paul's Drag Race UK.
This helped give more drag representation in mainstream music.
Ru Paul's Drag Race UK has been a British reality competition TV series for ten years now and gained popularity in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
Sacolick said the more authentic an artist is about their experiences, passions, creative manifestations and their voice, the more profound their creative project can be.
“If that means shaving one's head or wearing a dress, then more power to them,” Sacolick said. “Artists are simply trying to portray solidarity with their queer friends.”
She said the current issues seem to be fueled by far-right politics or religious fundamentals but certainly not by academia.
“People should always work to understand their differences, be their gender, race or politics,” Sacolick said. “I wish that was more in vogue in our society today.”
