LGBTQ+ ACCEPTANCE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Written by Helen Freitas, Carly Dohner, Jaz Brown
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| Frank Ocean New Music |
#Music offers a snapshot reflecting the attitudes of society during a given time period. Topics such as sexuality which we are able to freely sing about today were forbidden not too long ago. The #LGBTQ community has faced some of the greatest discrimination in music and in history, but has made significant progress and gained widespread acceptance.
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| Sam Smith Marc Piasecki/ WireImage |
HISTORY: WHO STARTED DISCRIMINATING AGAINST THESE PEOPLE ANYWAYS?
The concept of varying sexual orientations is something that has been documented since the dawn of mankind— in fact, hetero- and homo-sexuality are fairly modern terms. Sometime in Ancient Greece, though, society became increasingly concerned with status, and, regardless of gender, individuals of different statuses could not be together, which paved the way for other forms of discrimination. Once Christianity became influential, the predominant view became “that procreative sex within marriage is allowed, while every other expression of sexuality is sinful” (Stanford 2015).
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| Young M.A. Andrew Boyle |
GAINING ACCEPTANCE
This belief that “every other expression of sexuality is sinful” or otherwise considered taboo has carried over through thousands of generations and has heavily impacted #music. The hip-hop industry is one of the most notoriously discriminating, and while several artists have lacked commercial success, others have earned a name for themselves, especially over the past few years. Overall, the music industry has become significantly more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.
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| Lady Gaga Dan Macmedan/ Getty Images |
MUSIC'S IMPACT ON LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
Exposure, representation and advocacy are three of the most important things that high profile artists provide to the LGBTQ+ community. Troye Sivan’s song “Heaven,” about his struggles with religion and his sexuality, Sia’s tribute to the Pulse nightclub victims in “The Greatest,” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” which has become “an LGBTQ+ anthem,” are all examples of music that has empowered this community. Other artists such as Frank Ocean, Sam Smith, Lil Nas X, Young M.A. and icons like Freddie Mercury have supported this community “simply by being successful LGBTQ+ artists” (Tan 2018).
TODAY
More and more artists are now able to incorporate varying messages about love and relationships into their music. Though the battle is not yet over, society has changed and become a bit more accepting. As more people continue to fearlessly open up and stay true to themselves, progress will continue to be made in the music industry and throughout the world.
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