Gay icon

Sappho of Lesbos was an Archaic Greek poet known for composing sentimental lyrics about women. Perceived homoerotism in her poems have led to her becoming a symbol for lesbianism,[1] 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.[2]

Saint Sebastian, history's first recorded male gay icon

The 3rd century Christian martyr Saint Sebastian is one of the earliest known gay icons,[3] due to his depiction in artwork as a beautiful, agonied young man.[4] 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."[5]

In the 1890s, Irish poet Oscar Wilde, himself also called a gay icon,[6] was incarcerated and exiled for his sexuality, and adopted the pseudonym "Sebastian Melmoth" after the saint.[7] Gay playwright Tennessee Williams used the saint's name for the martyred character Sebastian in his 1957 play, Suddenly Last Summer.[8]

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 led 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).[9]

Cher has been ranked in diverse listicles of the most prominent gay icons.[10][11][12]

Mariah Carey performing for her 'Caution' World Tour (2019)

Mariah Carey has demonstrated allyship since the early beginnings of her career. She has shown her love for her LGBTQ+ fans numerous times, including a 2003 performance at G-A-Y in London.[13] Furthermore, Carey also won a GLAAD award for Allyship.[14]

Kate Bush has been cited as an influence by respected artists like Sir Elton John, who is openly gay and credits Bush's music with helping him to overcome his alcoholism. Fellow gay icon Cher has also expressed admiration of Bush's work. Her debut single "Wuthering Heights" topped the charts and became a global success. The music video for the song in which she dances in the moors in a red dress has become iconic among the LGBTQ community. One of her less influential albums, Lionheart (1978), featured a song titled "Kashka From Baghdad", which regaled to the listener the tale of a gay couple living together in sin, which was quite revolutionary for its time.[15] Since 2016, Kate Bush fans have gathered in locations all over the world and taken to recreate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" video in an event dubbed The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever. Men and women in attendance to the event don red dresses or red in general and recreate the choreography observed in the video as a tribute. Bush, who has seen a clip of one of the events, described the tribute by her fans as "very touching and sweet".[16]

Madonna celebrating Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019

Pop musician Madonna has become a preeminent gay icon.[17][18][19] 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."[19] 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."[19]

Janet Jackson, 1998

Janet Jackson garnered a substantial LGBT following during the 1990s with her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997).[20][21][22] 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.[23] 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.[23] 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."[23][24]

Ellen DeGeneres is considered to be a gay icon for coming out publicly in a time when American culture was not as accepting, facing setbacks to her career and persevering to have an extremely successful daytime talk show.[25]

Lady Gaga, who herself is bisexual, fought as an LGBT rights activist from the beginning of her career and has a large LGBT following.[26] She is often referred as one of the biggest contemporary gay icons and fought against LGBT-related phobias, for marriage and adoption equality, the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell law, the protection of transgender people.[26][27][28][29][30]

Out described Katy Perry as a gay icon.[31] Perry dedicated the music video for Firework to the It Gets Better Project.[32] Perry was additionally awarded the National Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign.[33]

Judy Garland, for some authors is a premier example of a gay icon, as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Late 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".[34]

In the 1950s, the phrase "friend of Dorothy" became used as a slang term for homosexuals. This term is attributed both to well-known author and fellow gay icon Dorothy Parker, and to Garland's prominent role as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.[35]

Highly regarded by the LGBT community due to her work with gay men suffering from AIDS,[36][37] Diana, Princess of Wales, is considered to be a gay icon.[38][39] The hardships she faced during her life within the British royal family and her struggles with bulimia have been cited as factors to which members of the LGBT community can mostly connect.[40][41] Writing for Them, David Levesley described Diana as "a symbol of the familial oppression many queer people know all too well," and added that "[queer people] admire her for how long she lasted in the face of a shitty situation. Is there anything more queer than a fabulous woman trapped in a bleak household?"[40] James Greig from Vice also held a similar viewpoint, stating that "her status as a tragic diva aside, it's undeniable that Diana made real, material changes to the lives of LGBT people – particularly through the work she did around AIDS."[41] In an article for Newsweek, Desmond O'Connor wrote that Diana's work with dying HIV+ gay men was crucial for reminding "the people of Great Britain that their 'untouchable' sons deserved to be loved."[42]

In 2009, a panel including Sir Ian McKellen and Alan Hollinghurst chose Diana's portrait to be shown in the Gay Icons exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London.[36] In October 2017, the Attitude magazine honoured Diana with its Legacy Award for her HIV/AIDS work. Prince Harry accepted the award on behalf of his mother.[43][44]

Kylie Minogue, known for her disco-infused dance music and camp style, is held in high esteem by her gays fans.[45][46][47][48] She remarks that her gay fans have been with her through thick and thin, yet was never specifically marketed to a gay audience early in her career. Singer songwriter Rufus Wainwright described Kylie as 'the gay shorthand for joy'. She has performed at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party in 1994, 1998 and 2012.

Since his creation, He-Man's homoeroticism, implied homosexuality, and adherence to multiple gay stereotypes has resulted in the character and show drawing a queer audience when the cartoon first aired,[49] with the character being viewed as a gay icon.[50][51]