How does a song become a gay anthem? Like the LGBTQ+ community itself, our soundtrack is vast and diverse. We have recorded our history and contribution to the culture through music, and with this list we acknowledge and remember the forerunners that have made possible the positive changes we’ve seen over the decades. These songs are a testimony to our resilience and excellence.
While it’s impossible to define exactly what makes a song “gay,” this list definitely isn’t straight. You will see many overlaps between this list and some of the best house and disco tracks that were blasted in the ballrooms, as well as transformative hits by our beloved big-voiced divas. There are introspective slow jams by queer artists and allies that mirror our struggles with self-acceptance and social rejection. There are Billboard Hot 100-topping sensations and hidden gems that are forgotten or yet to be discovered; instant classics and songs that grew to be our community’s favorites. Besides the best-known songs that are essential to a list like this, we wish to highlight the queer musicians who deserve a spotlight, too.
To keep this countdown diverse, artists were only allowed one song on this list, and it is still growing and changing as our fight continues. As you browse the selections on this list, check out what actions you can take against the anti-LGBTQ+ bills in legislatures across the country. Regressive, fear-based tactics are being used to disenfranchise and silence the LGBTQ community, which makes living our truth as important as it’s ever been. And when you need that little extra boost of confidence, music’s got your back.
Several of Mika’s songs could have made this list (“We Are Golden,” “Lollipop,” or “Last Party,” a song about Freddie Mercury’s infamous party before he died), but “Grace Kelly” is why we fell in love with him in the first place: He’s authentically queer and has no interest in conforming.
With two gay icons on one song, “No More Tears” opens with Streisand crooning “It’s raining, it’s pouring/ My love life is boring me to tears.” Here it shall stand in for “Rain On Me” for now, as we see if the latter can withstand the test of time. Sonically, “No More Tears” is close to the man-hungry camp classic “It’s Raining Men,” but here the duo, disappointed by many a man that showed promise at first, decided that they ain’t got no tears left to cry. The two women brought the house down with a vocal showdown like a VH1 Divas Live performance, and the song became Summer’s fourth Hot 100 chart topper.
A self-described “fat, feminist lesbian from Arkansas,” Beth Ditto has never looked as glamorous as she does in the video for this daring ultimatum.
After performing the song — originally by The Village People — at an AIDS benefit in Manchester, the duo recorded it as a single in 1993. The music video, which features slightly dated CGI, was Grammy-nominated for best short form music video.
Izora Armstead and Martha Wash were introduced to each other singing backup for Sylvester, who gave them their group’s original name: Two Tons o’ Fun. While the duo saw a handful of their songs hit the dance chart, “It’s Raining Men” was their only Hot 100 entry (charting at No. 46).
The way Musgraves nonchalantly suggests to “kiss lots of boys — or kiss lots of girls, if that’s something you’re into,” was seen as an attack on traditional Christian values by some, while others said it was positive a shift for country music.
Expect Clarkson’s catalog to be on heavy rotation at any lesbian karaoke night. This song, with lyrics like “this is the life that we choose” and “come out, come out if you dare,” added sparks to rumors that Clarkson could be gay. Though straight, Clarkson accepted the rumors as a compliment.
Though RCA decided not to release this song stateside, Bowie performed it on Saturday Night Live wearing a puppet body suit via special effects. The line “other boys check you out” was excised, but censors failed to notice his puppet’s bouncing erection at the close of the song.
Originally written for George W. Bush, the song took on a bigger meaning after Prop 8 — an anti-gay marriage state constitutional amendment — was passed in California. The ban was lifted in 2013.
The singer-songwriter revealed she wrote this catchy ode to courage as a love letter to a friend who was struggling to come out as an adult.
For her sophomore album, Mariah Carey enlisted the help of Robert Clivilles and David Cole (the leaders of C+C Music Factory) who co-wrote and co-produced the gospel influenced dance track “Make It Happen.” An anthem about hope, faith and overcoming adversity, “Make It Happen” was the antithesis of the nihilistic and anarchic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in the early ‘90s pop landscape, carrying with it an uplifting message that appealed to the queer club scene.
Fun fact: Former Republican presidential nominee John McCain listed this classic (which hit No. 1 in April 1977) as his favorite song during the 2008 election cycle.
This song plays during the famous scene in The Birdcage where Gene Hackman dons drag to avoid being noticed by the paparazzi. While the four members of Sister Sledge are actual sisters, the song took on a deeper meaning with the gay community being one big family.
The gayest song from Queen’s catalogue was surprisingly not written by Freddie Mercury, but rather bassist John Deacon. This anthem had the whole band dress in soap opera-inspired drag characters for its music video.
When you look at her one-two punch of her femme-bashing “Ur So Gay” and her exhibitionist faux-lesbian “I Kissed A Girl,” in a post-Gaga era, this song felt more opportunistic than authentic. But Perry has seemingly become more progressive and it would be hard to find a pride parade not playing this booming (pun intended) anthem.
From her album Yes I Am, this Grammy-winning song was the first to be released after Etheridge came out publicly as a lesbian.
The euphoric gay staple is one of many songs featured in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert — both the movie and stage adaption.
On her first Dance Club Songs No. 1 in the 1990s, a rework of producer duo Clivilles & Cole’s “A Deeper Love,” Aretha Franklin moved away from the synth-laden sound of Who’s Zoomin’ Who and sported a more dance floor-ready house beat and a syncopated organ riff by C&C that was later incorporated on Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s “We Found Love.”
Minogue recorded this jovial anthem specifically as an homage to her large gay fan base. The video depicts a peaceful flash mob taking over the streets of downtown Los Angeles, symbolizing — quite literally — an uprising of love.
Years after the Off-Broadway production premiered, the show was finally brought to Broadway. Winning the 2014 Tony Award for best revival of a musical, the show featured several actors taking on the titular role over its year-long run, including Neil Patrick Harris, Taye Diggs, Darren Criss and the show’s writer and original lead, John Cameron Mitchell.
The band is one of the pioneers of the feminist riot grrrl movement. The song, featuring lyrics like “rebel girl / you’re the queen of my world,” and “in her kiss I taste a revolution,” has recently seen a resurgence after being featured in both Orange Is The New Black and a viral DIY pro-Hillary Clinton clip.
“Bloom” is a soft, gentle ode to opening up to a new paramour — in more ways than one. Sivan confirmed the song’s sexy subtext wasn’t an accident with a since-deleted tweet: #bopsforbottoming.
The drag-centric musical took home six Tonys, including best musical; best score (with music and lyrics by gay icon Cyndi Lauper); and outstanding actor in a musical, for out-and-proud Billy Porter’s comeback performance as Lola, a drag queen.
Opening with a sky-high guitar that brings to mind the open plains on a hot day, “American Teenager” finds Ethel Cain tapping into ethereal regions of her voice in a way that brings to mind the Cranberries. The song is earnest yet jaded, familiar yet fresh – kind of like, well, an American teenager. Cain specializes in exploring uniquely American dichotomies, and this one is a glimmering winner.
While there are several underground queer hip-hop artists that deserve recognition (Le1f, Cakes Da Killa, Mykki Blanco, to name a few), Katz and his Paris Is Burning tribute is a standout.
This good-time-gal’s party jam shows mad love to the LGBTQ+ community. The fun video is full of colors, dancing and — of course — drag queens.
Self-described “rock’s truest fairy,” Jobriath was the first openly gay musician to be signed to a major label (Elektra). For his television debut on The Midnight Special, the glam rocker initially planned to play this S&M-themed jam, but had to switch tunes after a producer objected.
Aguilera was given a GLAAD Media Award for the song’s accompanying music video, which featured moving portrayals of a gay couple and a transgender person. The song, which peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, was written and produced by out-and-proud Linda Perry.
This heartbreaking piece of ‘80s synth-pop tells the story of a runaway whose family rejects him for being gay.
Not only was this disco classic featured heavily in Paris Is Burning and Carrie Bradshaw’s runway debut, but it made an appearance in the first season of Will & Grace as well. Will (Eric McCormack) is singing the song in the mirror while shaving, to which Grace (Debra Messing) quips, “We’re just like fifty men and a mirrored ball away from being a gay disco.”
In what appeared to be a response to the British government’s damning Section 28 act (which criminalized the promotion of homosexuality, resulting in the closing of lesbian, gay and bisexual support groups across British schools and colleges), the song questions “What religion or reason could drive a man to forsake his lover?”
“I am shame, she is me/ We get down with our bad selves figuratively,” trans singer Shea Diamond declares in this introspective soul anthem.
Following up her E•MO•TION: Side B, Carly Rae Jepsen released “Cut to the Feeling” from the catalog of more than 200 songs she wrote for E•MO•TION. Opening with a rippling synth that brings to mind Madonna’s “Lucky Star,” the song boasts a sizable chorus brimming with over-the-top hooks that recall peak Cyndi Lauper, and it is a Pride party essential track that celebrates the exhilaration of being free to love whom we love.
The outspoken ally’s toast to underdogs was a Hot 100 No. 1 and features scenes from a gay marriage in its music video, inspired by her best friend’s wedding. Cheers!
Graduating from City Girls’ makeup artist to mic-dominating rapper, Saucy Santana dropped the taunting, winningly bratty “Material Girl” in 2019; three years later, he teamed up with the Queen of Pop herself on a victory lap rework titled “Material Gworrllllllll!” and the two performed it together during NYC Pride in 2022.
While it was widely speculated that this was his version of coming out (“I think it’s time I told you so / there’s something deep inside of me / there’s someone else I’ve got to be”), Michael explained that the song was actually about liberating himself from his former image with the band Wham!. Nearly a decade later, Michael came out publicly.
It’s impossible to put a finger on when Cher became a gay icon, but this music video didn’t hurt her reputation. In an outfit design that was surely based on The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the pop star boarded a U.S. Navy ship and treated herself to her own personal Fleet Week.
This disco classic was taken by many as an implicit ode to the gym’s reputation as a popular cruising location — it even comes from an album titled Cruisin’. “Y.M.C.A.” hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1979, but has since become a parody of itself. Thankfully, Grindr exists these days.
Sure, the lyrics to Dove Cameron’s breakout solo hit “Boyfriend” are explicitly LGBTQ, but the music itself — a vamping mixture of high camp and seductive drama with a villainous touch – is just as queer. And that cooing “plus all my clothes would fit” line is just the cherry on top.
Before revealing that they are non-binary, Janelle Monáe had come out as pansexual prior to the release of her 2018 critical sensation Dirty Computer. The Prince-esque lead single “Make Me Feel,” accompanied by a video that features Monáe flirting with the Creed actor Tessa Thompson and a man, was their nod to the bisexual community.
This battle cry’s message of resilience seems simple on the surface, but it resonates deeply. The band was known for their sociopolitical lyrics, specifically when it came to issues of feminism and LGBTQ+ rights.
“When the girls don’t need your love / Who says boys don’t cry?” taunts Anitta on Versions of Me lead single “Boys Don’t Cry.” The mechanized beat and reverberating synths conjure up an ‘80s chase scene, and sure enough, the music video finds her fleeing a bevy of zombie losers who put the “dud” in dude, as she finds better satisfaction on the Sapphic side of things
Actress Tracie Thoms initially auditioned for the stage version of Joanne in Rent but the role was given to Fredi Walker. Almost a decade later, Thoms was cast in the film adaptation — which led to a role in the Broadway revival of the rock opera.
The original music video, banned by the BBC, featured mustachioed leather men, dominatrix drag queens, and…watersports? A version featuring similarly transgressive footage from Brian De Palma’s Body Double aired on MTV as well.
It didn’t need an Elton John and Neil Tennant cover to make “In Private” a queer classic. Its original performer, Dusty Springfield, was many things: a British Invasion pioneer, a blue-eyed soul luminary, a camp icon and not least the first U.K. pop star to come out as bisexual. Her third Pet Shop Boys-produced single, “In Private,” is a tongue-in-cheek story about an illicit affair between the singer and a married man. Guess it wasn’t “just the story of my life” – it was also the reality for many queer relationships.
All hail Queen Elsa, Disney’s greatest queer(coded) icon. Not only is Frozen’s Elsa the first Disney princess without a love interest, which has invited interpretations of her being gay or ace/aro, Elsa’s experience of isolation and rejection and her identity struggles are all too relatable to the movie’s queer audiences. Elsa’s song of liberation sends out a message of empowerment to the kids — until we have the first real Disney queer protagonist.
Dating back to at least World War II — when homosexual acts were illegal — the term “friend of Dorothy” was underground slang for a gay man. While investigating homosexuality in Chicago, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service discovered that gay men used this term to refer to themselves. They started a massive witch-hunt for the elusive “Dorothy” in hopes that she would reveal names of gay service members.
Whether it’s in a dive bar or in a two-hour car ride like the infamous The L Word scene, nearly every lesbian will participate in a sing-along of this introspective anthem at some point.
While “Supermodel” remains Mama Ru’s highest peaking Billboard Hot 100 hit, this electro-pop jam is the clear favorite among die-hard Drag Race fans thanks to its indelible placement on the series.
Released shortly after the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, MUNA’s “I Know a Place” provides a virtual safe space of acceptance and solidarity, where queer folks can come and be received with understanding and love.
Before the world knew Laverne Cox or Caitlyn Jenner, punk rock band Against Me!‘s lead singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace came out as a transgender woman. Following her announcement, the band released the critically acclaimed Transgender Dysphoria Blues. Grace joined America’s favorite pansexual, Miley Cyrus, to sing the album’s lead single on behalf of Miley’s Happy Hippie Foundation, which aids LGBTQ youth.
Lil Nas X’s flamenco-inspired “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” was a cultural reset – never had a gay hip-hop star so ostentatiously commercialized his queerness and sexuality to such success. With a Bible-referencing and autoerotic video, the then 22-year-old star reclaimed the disparaging satanic imageries associated with queer people and, although not without controversy, pushed for greater acceptance of queerness in the industry.
While this may not be Scissor Sisters‘ most inventive track, the campy number — and its instructional dance video! — shows the band’s brilliance. Every good gay house party has this song queued up.
Robyn was inspired to write this earworm by her love for sad, gay disco anthems. Any gay guy who says he hasn’t related to this synthy jam shouldn’t be trusted.
This Motown Hot 100 No. 1 hit was appropriated by the gay community as an anthem for friends lost to the AIDS epidemic. As part of a commissioned “public space statement,” artist Nayland Blake juxtaposed the title of the song against an image of a bouquet of flowers with their tangled roots showing.
Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” has often been overshadowed by the immensely successful Whitney Houston cover. Houston’s arrangement, which features a minute-long balladic intro that builds up to a beat drop, earned a nod from Khan, but on the original recording Khan opted for an exuberant string intro that ushered in one of the funkiest disco beats in history. Khan’s proud declaration of “I’m Every Woman” now holds an important place in Roe-era women’s liberation, and has since been adopted by queer and trans women everywhere as an unequivocal anthem to fighting for the rights they deserve.
The dark, clanging “Unholy” became a surprise hit thanks to TikTok, eventually scaling up the Hot 100 to the No. 1 spot — making Smith and Petras the first openly nonbinary and trans artists, respectively, to top the main Billboard chart. A major moment in LGBTQ music history – big enough that if mummy didn’t know at first, she surely does now.
This track garnered three Grammy Award nominations for Lang, including song of the year and record of the year. She walked away with the award for best female pop vocal performance. The song maintained its place in lesbian culture when it was covered on Glee by Naya Rivera, Idina Menzel and Chris Colfer in the episode where Rivera’s character, Santana, came out to her parents.
The uber-fabulous Sylvester was so beloved by the San Francisco gay community that they gave him a standing ovation at the 1988 Castro Street Fair that lasted more than 10 minutes. Too ill to attend the event, he looked out at his fans from a wheelchair on his apartment balcony. He planned his own funeral, insisting that he be buried in an embroidered red kimono and matching red lipstick.
Inspired by her lesbian sister, Lauper has been an advocate throughout her career. Years after the uplifting ballad hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness for LGBTQ+ youth.
It’s quite the task to choose just one track from Madonna’s discography, but the safest bet is this song, inspired by queer vogueing subculture. The tune was originally recorded as a B-side, but ended up topping the Hot 100.
In 2014, Gaynor caught heat from the gay community when she delayed a gig at The Abbey in West Hollywood. Citing her religious beliefs, she reportedly insisted that managers remove all the go-go dancers from the room. Controversy aside, this song’s staying power is undeniable: RuPaul sent two queens packing on the same episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race for not doing justice to a lip sync of the gay staple.
Even at its conception, this song was a gay anthem: After seeing three drag queens impersonate Ross at a New York discotheque, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were inspired to write something for her gay fandom. Ross almost got cold feet releasing it but Rodgers convinced her to go with it. She took his advice and landed her sixth Hot 100 top 10 hit as a solo artist.
Inspired by the empowering music of the ‘90s, Gaga told Billboard that she wanted to create a “freedom record” that didn’t beat around the bush: “I want to write my this-is-who-the-f–k-I-am anthem, but I don’t want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors.” She followed through, with lyrics like, “No matter gay, straight or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I’m on the right track, baby / I was born to survive.” Fans responded positively, as the song debuted at No.1 on the Hot 100 and remained there for six weeks.