Gay icon

A gay icon is a public figure who is highly regarded by the LGBT community, often for their support of LGBT rights and activism, or for being a prominent member of the community themselves. Media organizations such as GLAAD routinely recognize such figures for their contributions to LGBT causes.

Judy Garland, described as "the Elvis of the homosexuals"[1]

The most widely recognized gay icons are often celebrities who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich,[2] Nelson Mandela,[3] Marlon Brando,[4] Harvey Milk,[5] James Dean,[6] George Takei,[7] Ian McKellen,[8] Freddie Mercury,[9] Elton John,[10] John Waters,[11] Elizabeth Taylor,[12] Barbra Streisand,[13] David Bowie,[14] Stephen Fry,[15] Donna Summer,[16] Cyndi Lauper,[17] Harvey Fierstein,[18] Prince (musician),[19] Madonna, Ellen DeGeneres,[20] Village People,[21] Boy George,[22] George Michael,[23] Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey,and Cher. However, the term is also applied to politicians, authors, and other historical figures deemed relatable to LGBT causes.

Many gay icons are celebrities in the entertainment industry, but can also include figures in politics, history, sports, literature, and other mediums. Prominent entertainers considered to be gay icons often incorporate themes of acceptance, self-love, and sexuality in their work. Gay icons of all orientations have acknowledged the role that their gay fans have played in their success, including legends like, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, and Diana Ross to stars of the '90s and early '00s such as Geri Halliwell, Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Neil Patrick Harris,[24] David Beckham,[25] Justin Timberlake,[26] Ben Cohen (rugby union),[27] Christina Aguilera, Jake Gyllenhaal,[28] Beyoncé,[29] Britney Spears, Macklemore[30] and Adam Lambert.[31] More recently stars such as Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande have been seen as gay icons due to their stance on LGBT rights and their campy nature. Politicians considered to be gay icons typically attain their status in the LGBT community for consistently supporting and advocating for LGBT rights.

Historical figures
Saint Sebastian, history's first recorded male gay icon

Sappho of Lesbos

Sappho of Lesbos was an Archaic Greek poet known for composing sentimental lyrics about women. Perceived homoerotism in her poems lead to her becoming a symbol for lesbianism,[32] with her name and home island inspiring the terms sapphic and lesbian respectively. Her sexuality, and the themes in her poetry have been extensively discussed and reinterpreted by scholars.[33]

Saint Sebastian

The 3rd century Christian martyr Saint Sebastian is one of the earliest known gay icons,[34] due to his depiction in artwork as a beautiful, agonied young man.[35] Historian Richard A. Kaye states that "Contemporary gay men have seen in Sebastian at once a stunning advertisement for homosexual desire (indeed, a homoerotic ideal), and a prototypical portrait of a tortured closet case."[36]

In the 1890s, Irish poet Oscar Wilde, himself also called a gay icon,[37] was incarcerated and exiled for his sexuality, and adopted the pseudonym "Sebastian Melmoth" after the saint.[38] Gay playwright Tennessee Williams used the saint's name for the martyred character Sebastian in his 1957 play, Suddenly, Last Summer.[39]

Marie Antoinette

Prior to the French Revolution, opponents of the French monarchy regularly circulated pornographic propaganda alleging that Marie Antoinette was engaged in a lesbian relationship with the Princesse de Lamballe. While the rumors of Antoinette's sexuality were unfounded, they lead to her being interpreted as an early lesbian icon in works by gay authors, such as Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness (1928) and Jean Genet's The Maids (1947).[40]

Modern celebrities
Judy Garland, arguably the most famous gay icon, as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Judy Garland
See also: Judy Garland as gay icon

American singer and actress Judy Garland was immensely popular among gay men due to her camp sensibilities, and is considered "the quintessential pre-Stonewall gay icon".[41]

In the 1950s, the phrase "friend of Dorothy" became used as a slang term for homosexuals. This term is attributed both to American author and fellow gay icon Dorothy Parker, and to Garland's prominent role as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.[42]

Madonna
See also: Madonna as a gay icon

Pop music singer Madonna became a preeminent gay icon of the 1980s.[43][44][45] The Advocate's Steve Gdula commented that "back in the 1980s and even the early 1990s, the release of a new Madonna video or single was akin to a national holiday, at least among her gay fans."[45] Gdula also stated that during this period, concurrent with the rise of the AIDS epidemic, "when other artists tried to distance themselves from the very audience that helped their stars to rise, Madonna only turned the light back on her gay fans and made it burn all the brighter."[45]

Janet Jackson, 1998

Janet Jackson
See also: Janet Jackson as a gay icon

Janet Jackson garnered a substantial LGBT following during the 1990s. Her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997).[46][47][48] The album was honored by the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum and received the award for Outstanding Music Album at the 9th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 1998 for its songs that dealt with sexual orientation and homophobia.[49] On April 26, 2008, she received the Vanguard Award—a media award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation—to honor her work in the entertainment industry in promoting equality for LGBT people.[49] GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano commented, "Ms. Jackson has a tremendous following inside the LGBT community and out, and having her stand with us against the defamation that LGBT people still face in our country is extremely significant."[49][50]

Responses

Many celebrities have responded positively to being regarded as gay icons, several noting the loyalty of their gay fans. Eartha Kitt and Cher have credited gay fans with keeping them going at times when their careers had faltered.[51]

Kylie Minogue performing at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Kylie Minogue has acknowledged the perception of herself as a gay icon and has performed at such events as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Asked to explain the reason for her large gay fanbase, Minogue replied, "It's always difficult for me to give the definitive answer because I don't have it. My gay audience has been with me from the beginning ... they kind of adopted me." She noted that she differed from many gay icons who were seen as tragic figures, with the comment, "I've had a lot of tragic hairdos and outfits. I think that makes up for it!"[52]

Lady Gaga has acknowledged and credited her gay following for launching then supporting her career stating, among other examples, "When I started in the mainstream it was the gays that lifted me up", and that "because of the gay community I'm where I am today." As a way to thank her gay audience for allowing her to perform her first album in gay clubs before she was invited to perform at straight ones, she often debuted her new albums at gay clubs. Along her career, she also dedicated a MuchMusic Video Award win, as well as her Alejandro music video, to gay people, frequently praised her gay entourage for the positive impact they had on her life and often gave a place to different queer crowds in her songs, performances, music videos as well as in the visuals of her make up line. Lady Gaga is known for her fights as an LGBT activist and attended numerous LGBT events such as Prides and Stonewall day.[53][54][55][56][57][58][59]

Madonna has acknowledged and embraced her gay following throughout her career, even making several references to the gay community in her songs or performances, and performed at several gay clubs. She has declared in interviews that some of her best friends are gay and that she adores gay people and refers to herself as "the biggest gay icon of all times."[60] She also has been quoted in television interviews in the early 1990s as declaring the "big problem in America at the time was homophobia."

Geri Halliwell has consistently acknowledged and accepted her status as a gay icon throughout her career as both a solo artist and member of the Spice Girls, describing a "kinship" with the gay community and her love and respect for her LGBTQ fans.[61][62]

See also

References
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Books
  • Gay Icons: The (Mostly) Female Entertainers Gay Men Love, Georges-Claude Guilbert (2018). ISBN 978-1-4766-7433-9
  • The Culture of Queers, Richard Dyer (2002). ISBN 0-415-22376-8
  • Frightening the Horses: Gay Icons of the Cinema, Eric Braun (2002). ISBN 1-903111-10-2
  • 20th Century Icons-Gay, Graham Norton (2001). ISBN 1-899791-77-9
  • Gay histories and cultures, George E. Haggerty (2000). ISBN 0-8153-1880-4
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