Were We Born This Way? A Century of LGBTQIA+ Anthems

Recently, Lady Gaga made history by hosting the highest-attended concert by a female artist, drawing 2.4 million fans to Copacabana Beach. Over her 17-year career, she has become known for fearless reinvention, magnetic eccentricity, and a deep connection with the LGBTQ+ community. Her success has undeniably contributed to greater visibility and acceptance — but she was not the first to do so.

Origins of the Queer Anthem

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is often cited as the first LGBT+ anthem, largely due to the enduring icon status of Judy Garland within the community. However, this is ultimately a matter of perspective. Even classical compositions explored queer themes — sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly.

Following the First World War, cabaret gained significant popularity across Europe, particularly in France and Germany. Featuring music, song, dance, recitation, and drama, these venues became sanctuaries for LGBTQ+ individuals to express themselves and find a sense of belonging. They nurtured community and creativity, often in direct defiance of societal norms. Within cabaret, music, lyrics, and performance became powerful tools to explore same-sex desire and challenge conventional gender roles and the status quo.

However, in 1933, the Nazi regime, deeming cabaret "decadent" and unacceptable, ordered the closure of these venues. Many were forced to flee, and performers faced persecution.

The war years were not the first to condemn LGBT+ expression. The community had long been stigmatised and criminalised in many parts of the world. Numerous religions have labelled LGBT+ identities as immoral or sinful. With colonialism in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, native sexual practices and gender expressions were systematically persecuted and erased. Western powers imposed their own religious and cultural beliefs, often with brutal violence. As a result, heteronormativity and monogamy came to dominate Western civilisation — and for many, conformity became a means of survival and resilience.

Blues: A Shared Language of Pain

In its early days, the LGBT+ community also found resonance in blues music. The genre originated from 19th-century African American folk traditions in the Deep South, characterised by melancholic melodies, simple harmonies, powerful vocals, and lyrics that spoke of love, loss, heartbreak, and social injustice. The shared experience of societal rejection and discrimination forged a connection between these two marginalised groups. Blues clubs, travelling tent shows, and similar venues often became LGBT+-friendly spaces — places where people could gather, socialise, and simply be themselves.

Rock: Queer Music Under Oppression and Power

Between the 1950s and 1960s, blues evolved into rhythm and blues (R&B), rockabilly, and eventually rock 'n' roll. While many white musicians appropriated and popularised the rebellious sound — often at the expense of Black artists who received little recognition — Little Richard stood out as an exception to this exploitation.

By the age of 20, he was already a showbiz veteran, performing in drag under the name Princess LaVonne. As a seminal figure in rock 'n' roll, Little Richard was instrumental in bringing Black artistry into the mainstream and in pushing the boundaries of gender and sexuality within popular music.

Glam Rock: The Glittering Revolution

In the final years of the 1960s, the revolutionary decade culminated in the Stonewall Riots of June 1969 — a defining moment and beacon for the modern LGBT+ rights movement. Perhaps this is why early pride anthems were rooted in themes of survival. As of January 2025, 38 countries recognise same-sex marriage, yet many individuals around the world still face discrimination, violence, and hate crimes. The struggle for full equality continues and continuing fight, with some countries criminalising or discriminating against cross-dressing, gender expression, or identity.

The 1970s saw the rise of glam rock — a defiant, gender-bending movement where male musicians embraced flamboyant, feminine clothing, dramatic make-up, towering platform shoes and glitter, while many female artists adopted traditionally masculine styles. This visible “cross-dressing” ignited new conversations around gender fluidity and androgyny. Originating in England, glam rock evolved into punk and the New Romantic movement, eventually gaining global traction. In Brazil, even under a far-right dictatorship marked by censorship and repression, the genre offered revolutionary expression for the LGBT+ community.

Disco: Ecstasy, Expression, and Erasure

The urban nightlife of African American, Latino, and Italian American communities in New York and Philadelphia gave rise to disco culture. After decades of self-hate and denial, the dance floor became a place where people could truly express themselves through movement and style. Disco was built on a celebratory self-image, and it played a significant role in the LGBT+ emancipation, bringing queer life into the mainstream. However, it’s worth noting the anti-disco movement and the fact that, as disco gained widespread popularity, many original queer-friendly spaces were replaced by venues catering to a broader, more commercial audience.

Meanwhile, across Europe, the Europop phenomenon emerged, with ABBA becoming a key figure. Their music, which began to be recognised as a gay anthem, gained this status only in the early 1980s, after the decline of disco.

Rhythms of Resilience

It’s nearly impossible to separate the 1980s from the HIV/AIDS crisis and the rising tide of homophobia. A generation of LGBT+ individuals found themselves grappling with identity and discrimination, often being treated as though they were a contagious disease.

During this time, queer anthems took on a more political tone, with themes of self-love, empowerment, and romantic or sexual desire, challenging societal norms. It’s also important to note the role of queer coding in some pop hits — a subtle form of resistance. In these songs, sexuality and identity were often implied rather than explicitly stated, not just in lyrics and poetic personas, but through the artists themselves.

It’s also worth noting that the HIV/AIDS crisis and homophobia were not issues confined to the English-speaking world. The expression of queerness through music was a global phenomenon. In Canada, the French-speaking artist Mylène Farmer embraced androgyny with songs like "Libertine" and "Sans contrefaçon," while in the Spanish-speaking world, Alaska y Dinarama’s "¿A quién le importa?" became an anthem of self-acceptance.

LGBTQIA+ New Market

From the 1990s onwards, the LGBT+ community was embraced by female allies in the fight for equality, with many using their platforms to support the community, from pop music to riot grrrl. It’s also worth mentioning the rise of queerbaiting in music videos — a "pink money" strategy designed to appeal to a queer audience by hinting at queerness without delivering anything explicit enough to alienate a more mainstream, LGBT-phobic crowd.

The turn of the millennium saw the rise of LGBT+ artists stepping into the spaces that had been paved for them, advocating for the community and claiming their own anthems across a variety of genres. Their personal experiences became lyrics that connected deeply with their fandoms, addressing themes of identity, belonging, social justice, self-acceptance, and love.

The internet and social media played a pivotal role in the democratisation of music, breaking down industry barriers and offering artists a platform just one click away, with videos only a scroll away. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that 35% of the global population remains offline, leaving many still excluded from this digital revolution. Plus, algorithms favour certain aesthetics and identities.

Although many of the early pride anthems were not consciously intended as such by the artists, this, too, is a matter of perspective and interpretation. And that, perhaps, is the true power of music — its ability to connect and foster community. A piece of music doesn't rely solely on the author's intent or biography; it also lives in the listener’s interpretation. Another important factor is individual taste, as each person brings their own unique perspective to the experience.