King Baby Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 The past few weeks must have been a particularly hard time to be young and gay. A wave of homophobic violence in New York last month was shocking, but most upsetting were the stories of suicides. Five high-profile instances of gay teenagers taking their lives were reported in the US alone. This side of the Atlantic, meanwhile, we were reminded of how far we have yet to go when a lesbian couple were denied a marriage service (rather than a civil partnership) in Greenwich. Hope, however, comes from the unlikeliest places. Paul Simon sang that every generation throws a hero up the pop charts and, at this moment in time, he might be talking about Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift. Thanks to them, the airwaves are full of songs whose shared message, no matter how cheesily delivered, is "gay's OK". Katy Perry's contribution to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) awareness was, until now, the ditsy sapphic dabbling of "I Kissed a Girl", a song that the inimitable Beth Ditto deemed "offensive to gay culture". Before that was "Ur So Gay" – a song as inane as it is pernicious. "Ur so gay and you don't even like boys" runs the chorus, to which its subject might reply, "but at least I'm not a queer-bashing bonehead who can't spell". You may therefore not be best-disposed towards her latest single, "Firework", but that would be a shame. Although the song has one of the crappest opening lines in history ("Do you ever feel/ Like a plastic bag?") and a video that implies that Perry's pyrotechnically gifted mammaries are somehow going to save us all, it is, nonetheless, a straight-up (no pun intended) gay youth anthem. With lines such as, "You don't have to feel like a waste of space/ You're original, cannot be replaced", it's a rally cry for self-esteem and acceptance. Yes, it's groaningly mawkish, and yes, it is to music as a Creme Egg McFlurry is to gastronomy, but I'm nonetheless glad every time I hear it. Perry dedicated the song to the It Gets Better project, a series of videos in which gay men and women talk to the camera to let LBGT teenagers know that, in one way or another, "it gets better". If you haven't seen any yet, steel yourself: I've yet to watch a single one that doesn't set me sobbing. Ke$ha's contribution may not be the most heart-wrenching of the lot, but it's still moving to watch her assuring gay, bisexual and transgender viewers that "however you are choosing to live is beautiful". Ke$ha describes her latest single, "We R Who We R", as an anthem dedicated to those "who haven't felt accepted because of their sexuality". Then there's Lady Gaga's new album due next year. Elton John has already declared that its title track, "Born This Way", is "the new 'I Will Survive'... This is the new gay anthem". She'll be in competition with Pink, whose single "Raise Your Glass" urges us to "...raise your glass if you are wrong/ In all the right ways/ All my underdogs". Pink's video also features a now seemingly obligatory kiss between two men – a pop video trope that's pretty much all down to Christina Aguilera. Her 2002 hit "Beautiful" featured a close-up of two men kissing in slow motion: the fact that it was so much more shocking in 2002 is a small but significant indicator of pop's power to change things. Similarly, whereas "Beautiful" was a sombre ballad, its successors are beat-pounding, shout-the-chorus dance numbers: the welcome implication is that homosexuality and difference are to be celebrated, rather than just endured. There may well be some bandwagon-hopping going on among these artists, but frankly, when a wagon so desperately needs passengers, let 'em hop. Likewise, some might gripe over it being ostensibly straight women, rather than gay singers, putting out these hits, but perhaps it doesn't matter who the message is coming from. The reach and power of pop music is not to be underestimated, as Dan Savage, who founded the It Gets Better project, well knows. He has said: "I get frustrated with gay politicos who discount or undermine the importance of pop stars. They're a huge part of this fight." On "Firework" Katy Perry sings: "If you only knew/ What the future holds/ After a hurricane/ Comes a rainbow." And, to paraphrase an early gay icon, somewhere over that rainbow, there's a land where no gay teenager is ever driven to end their own life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 My sexy ass is going to go with "Raise Your Glass"...That song is super fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 This is from the new bitches...Don't be coming in here with "Freezone" and "Together Again" or I'll drop to my knees and chew your balls off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Balladtina! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaria Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 I'm beautiful in my way, cus god makes noo-o mistakes, I'm on the right track, baby I WAS BORN THIS WAYYYEEEEEEUHHHHHHH -Lady Brunhilda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Balladtina! You would dare vote for Xtina over P!nk knowing how I feel about P!nk? When areyou coming to DC? You need a good spanking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 You would dare vote for Xtina over P!nk knowing how I feel about P!nk? When areyou coming to DC? You need a good spanking. Well out of all those choices, I say Balladtina! I should be there for Thanksgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Well out of all those choices, I say Balladtina! I should be there for Thanksgiving. Are you going out to party? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Are you going out to party? If I see GA.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 If I see GA.. Its always about GA with you. You don't care about me and my feelings...Just GA, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Its always about GA with you. You don't care about me and my feelings...Just GA, Drama qween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Baby Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Drama qween. You don't love my like you should and you know I require 1,00,000% of the attention of all the people in my life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eli's_rhythm Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Other http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUo77HuDyFw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrietta. Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Beautiful >>>>>>>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrietta. Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Other http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUo77HuDyFw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Roll Hall of Game Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 how is Alejandro pro-gay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray. Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Beautiful >>>>>>>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaria Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 how is Alejandro pro-gay the video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboy06 Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 You don't love my like you should and you know I require 1,00,000% of the attention of all the people in my life And you wonder why I don't give you some of my attention.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Roll Hall of Game Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 the video all her videos are pro-gay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaria Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 all her videos are pro-gay aint that the truf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock & Roll Hall of Game Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 aint that the truf i voted P!NK but Xtina's was more controversial at the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaria Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 i voted P!NK but Xtina's was more controversial at the time Xtina's was the best, Firework is literally a frame by frame ripoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Why is this topic giving me a malware warning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wonder Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 The Legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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