From the glam-punk of Handbag to the ultra-mp Steve Elg, award-wng gay mic historian Darryl W Bullock picks out ep cuts to play at this year’s Pri celebratns
Contents:
JAMAI'S ANTI-GAY 'MURR MIC' CARRI VLENT MSAGE
The morn gay rights movement began as a rt at Stonewall -- celebrate Pri wh the LGBTQ prott songs. * offensive gay songs *
Standards have changed que a b terms of what referenc the culture at large ems offensive s h songs, om sual homophobia pop songs om Katy Perry and Taylor Swift to the jaw-droppg lyril ntent of some Rollg Ston classics. "Why wouldn't fly today: Another disgtg entry the Ston’ songbook, the song about a woman who’s been mold to “talk when she's spoken to” is an embarrassment for even Ur So Gay by Katy Perry, 2007Choice lyric: “I n't believe I fell love wh someone that wears more makp and / You're so gay and you don't even like boys”Why wouldn't fly today: If Perry’s I Kissed A Girl was borrle gross for s exploative take on same-sex experimentatn, Ur So Gay cross the le wh s eply immature rattlg-off of gay stereotyp, driven home by the e of the word as a Picture to Burn by Taylor Swift, 2008Choice lyric: “So go and tell your iends that I'm obssive and crazy / That's fe, I'll tell me that you're gay. ”Why wouldn't fly today: Perry’s enemy Taylor Swift wasn’t immune to the same kd of sophomoric homophobia, wh Picture To Burn subscribg to the same backward view that the worst thg you uld ll a teenage boy is “gay.
But g rogatory language for gay and black men certaly don’t help his se, nor do his wildly xenophobic lyrics about immigrants. / Yeah buddy, that's his own hair / That ltle f****t got his own jet airplane / That ltle f****t, he's a lnaire"Why wouldn't fly today: A slight at effemate rock stars, once aga g "gay" as an sult. It's no wonr this homophobic slur was omted om the band's greatt-hs album, Sultans of Swg.
* offensive gay songs *
Although the rock classic was -wrten by openly gay songwrer Dmond Child, s qutnable e the media — by Fox News when reportg on Chelsea Manng, for stance — mak thk that 's not the homage to the LGBTQ muny that he tend. After police nverged on the bar to arrt and harass the LGBTQ atten, as was ctomary, many fought back, sparkg what would spire the gay liberatn movement.
The rult was Gossip’s “Standg In the Way of Control, ” an angry kiss-off to policians, homophob and anyone else who wanted to keep queer people down.
Tom Robson Band, “Glad to Be Gay”. Long nsired to be the “gay natnal anthem” of Bra, Tom Robson Band don’t hold back on the 1978 track. While the song may not have the fiery energy of other prott songs, the lyrics directly ll out police btaly, homophobic vlence and those who sist that queer people are ls than human.