LGBT music
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) music is music that focuses on the experiences of gender and sexual minorities as a product of the broad gay liberation movement.
| LGBTQ+ music | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Ideologically Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender topics • protest songs • gay anthems Musically Various influences |
| Cultural origins | 1970s, United Kingdom and United States |
| Derivative forms | Musical genres Disco, Synth-Pop, house (diva house, hardbag), homo hop (hip-hop), hyperpop, glam rock, queercore Dance styles Jacking, vogue, waacking |
| Other topics | |
| Ball culture, Circuit party, Gay bar (Lesbian bar), Women's music | |
LGBTQ+ music spans the entire spectrum of popular music. Lyricism and song content typically express the frustration, anxiety, and hope associated with non-normative sexual and gender identities, offering marginalized groups a vital platform for expression. Recently, popular music has "provided an arena where marginalized voices can be heard and sexual identities shaped, challenged, and renegotiated". Mainstream music has begun to reflect acceptance of LGBTQ+ musicianship. Some queer icons are openly queer identifying and have made impactful changes in the world for LGBTQ+ people. Others are straight allies that have expressed their support for the community.
LGBTQ+ music can also refer to music that doesn't necessarily engage with queer themes, or is created by queer composers/producers, but is enjoyed by members of the LGBTQ+ community regardless. Much of the music created by straight queer icons is enjoyed in LGBTQ+ spaces, with artists such as Judy Garland, Janet Jackson, Donna Summer, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, or Cher, among others. Some performers, like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, are big activists for the LGBTQ+ community, winning the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2019, and publicly thanking the LGBTQ+ community for their development of the house music genre at the 2023 Grammy Awards.