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For centuries, love stories — in the form of songs, plays, books or films — have used the concept of “forbidden love” as a narrative device to heighten the tension and drive a story forward. So, should it really come as a surprise that LGBTQ artists write some of the best love songs around?
After all, queer folks were told on a regular basis throughout history that their way of loving was wrong (let’s be honest — in many cases and places, we are still being told that). So when given a platform to express themselves openly, it’s no wonder that LGBTQ talents have penned or performed exceptionally moving, deeply affecting love songs. Look no further than Melissa Etheridge’s “Come to My Window” or George Michael’s “Fastlove” for proof.
In recent years, as queer artists have gained more mainstream visibility in the music industry, the content of queer love songs has noticeably shifted in new, bold directions. No longer relegated to writing non-specific ballads of generalized longing, queer artists starting using proper pronouns for their lyrical lovers more regularly, explicitly spelling out the dynamics of relationships and taking the opportunities afforded to straight artists for years to sing frankly about sex and desire. Some of those songs have even gone on to top the Hot 100, making history for the LGBTQ community.
With so many gay love songs to choose from, Billboard decided to offer some help. Below, we list out 30 of our favorite gay love songs — specifically in which men sing about loving men — ranging from sensual dance bangers to tender pop ballads.
After smelling success with last season’s acting challenge, RuPaul’s Drag Race decided to bring back a flatulent favorite soap opera drama for their latest episode — The Daytona Wind.
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On last week’s episode (aired Friday, February 10), the remaining contestants were tasked with over-acting in the latest “episode” of the much-beloved, made-up TV show from last season. This time, the show ditched the farting sound effects for a ’80s sitcom-style laugh track, asking the queens to hit every catchphrase and corny line delivery possible.
While Mistress Isabelle Brooks managed to wow the judges with her campy characterization, Jax and Aura Mayari failed to impress with their half-baked performances, finding themselves in the bottom. Lip syncing to Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Sweetest Pie,” Jax pulled out every stop — including a number of perfectly executed acrobatic stunts — to secure her spot on the show, leaving Mayari on the chopping block.
Billboard caught up with Aura following her elimination to talk about struggling in the lip-sync, her BLACKPINK talent show performance and how she’s dealt with being dubbed the “cringe” queen of the season by Twitter.
We are six weeks into Drag Race — what has it been like getting to watch yourself on national television?
Well, interesting question! It’s been a lot of ups and downs; I’m just one of those people that hates watching myself and hearing myself. It’s weird and I don’t like it. But part of the job is doing viewing parties and watching yourself in front of a literal crowd, which is so gross.
I completely get that — I’m sure it also hasn’t helped that a certain section of the fanbase has decided to bombard you with criticisms of being “cringe.” But props to you for taking that and running with it online!
Yeah, at the very beginning, I really did not expect to have people coming for me. After we taped the show, I was really like, “It’ll be fine, I don’t think anyone’s gonna hate me for what I did — except for maybe the Snatch Game.” But then, yeah, they really did come for me. It took me a minute to kind of figure out how to respond to that situation, because we’re all pretty new when it comes to being in front of thousands and thousands of people online. But at the end of the day, if you feel that way, then you feel that way. I’m not here to make you love me, I’m here to do what I want to do.
To be real, I also watched a video online that was sent to me by Salina [EsTitties], of this speaker saying, “You never take criticism from somebody who isn’t in the same playing field as you.” But, I also want to be clear — if I did horrible, then I will say it, too. I’m not gonna sit here and make this about not accepting any criticism whatsoever. The situation is what it is, and I’m just rolling with it.
I want to actually go back for a moment to the premiere episode, and your performance of “Kill This Love” by BLACKPINK for the talent show — tell me about what went into that number?
So, that wasn’t my original plan! That came together about three days before I had to leave for filming. Originally, when we were told about the talent show, I messaged production and told them that I was going to do a fun “workout routine.” I tore my hamstring while I was onstage in Nashville, and I got the call that I made it onto the show while I was in the hospital. So, the plan was that I would hopefully be able to fully heal before going, and I was stretching every day, but during that time, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do an all-out performance for the talent show, so I came up with the idea for this workout sketch.
I wrote it and performed it to my boyfriend a couple of times, and he was basically like, “It’s funny, but you shouldn’t do this on the show. You should show them what you can do on stage.” But I knew if I moved in the wrong way, I’d hurt myself and then I’d have to go home. So we went back and forth for a while, before finally settling on this dance. I didn’t have time to choreograph it, so my friend actually choreographed it and made a video so I could learn it in three days. So, for all of the fans talking about why I was wearing flats for that performance, now you know why!
Let’s talk about this episode and “Daytona Winds”; things did not really go your way in this challenge. Walk me through what was going on in your head as you were filming this acting challenge.
Yes, there was a lot of struggle! The truth is, I was so excited for an acting challenge — I was so ready to make an absolute fool of myself, because the challenge isn’t really about “good acting.” If you’re being goofy, you’ll be okay! Well, I ended up just thinking about it way too much. I was so focused on the “over-acting,” and had a fully different idea of the character than the script did. It was also my first time working directly with RuPaul, and I got so nervous.
You were also very kind in switching your role with Mistress at the last minute, avoiding another “Metal-gate” moment.
I’m always trying to be a team player — if this is a group effort, then I want it to be a hit, I want everyone to do well with their parts. I fully forgot about myself at that point. Looking back now, I feel like I definitely could have picked a better part, but it was fully nerves.
I’m sure this was a hard lip sync to do, because Megan raps pretty fast in her verse and nailing all those words is tough. Credit where it’s due, though, you definitely brought the moves.
I appreciate that, but I was simply so gone during the lip sync because I didn’t know my words. Truly, I was doing whatever I could to distract the judges from looking at my mouth. Honestly, I don’t really remember what I did because I was so busy trying to get these words down.
I gotta tell you, I was so nervous for you when you started the lip sync with the kimono on — I was truly thinking, “How is she going to perform in this.” But the strip reveal to those pasties was incredible.
I had nothing prepared for a reveal, truly! I made those pasties on set, knowing I was going to lip-sync, and just slapped them on to cover my ta-ta’s [laughs].
The puffer kimono was such a clever way to do the theme without doing the same thing as everyone else. Where did that idea come from?
When we found out there would be a puffer runway, I immediately started thinking about what the other girls would do so I could do something different. I started listing out ideas I didn’t think anyone else would try with this, and I love myself a kimono, so that won. I wanted to represent for the Asian community on the show, so I knew I wanted to do an homage to my sisters out there.
Fun fact, Utica was actually the one who helped me create this! Her sleeping bag runway she did on her season was so iconic, and it was amazing that she was able to make this happen. That thing was humongous and heavy and hot.
As you prepare to watch Rihanna dominate the Super Bowl halftime show this weekend, why not get up-to-date on some of the latest offerings from your favorite LGBTQ artists? Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From Kelela’s return to the album format to Ashnikko’s biting new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Kelela, Raven
After five long years away from the mic, Kelela makes her full return today. Raven, the electro-R&B star’s sophomore album, follows Kelela as she asks you to open yourself up to the possibility of love. Equal parts therapy session and night out at a rave, Raven mixes and morphs together sounds from dance (“Missed Call”), jazz (“Let It Go”) and R&B (“Enough for Love”) to craft a testament to the power of vulnerability and emotional availability. Artists looking to make a comeback, take note: Kelela is doing it right.
Ashnikko, “You Make Me Sick!”
You wouldn’t like Ashnikko when she’s angry — you’ll love her. While past tracks from the rising alternative star have seen Ashnikko gleefully shredding her foes to pieces, few have gone quite as far as “You Make Me Sick,” her frenzied new single. Throughout the apoplectic new song, Ashnikko rages against a former lover, scream-rapping about their manipulative behavior and dissecting them piece by piece. If you’re feeling even the slightest bit upset today, allow Ashnikko to help you channel that.
Dove Cameron feat. Khalid, “We Go Down Together”
Peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, Batman and Robin and now, Dove Cameron and Khalid — some things just go great together. On “We Go Down Together,” Cameron and Khalid sound like a match made in heaven as they sing to one another about unwavering commitment. Cameron’s soft, smooth falsetto blends perfectly in with Khalid’s sonorous baritone, making “We Go Down Together” a must-listen musical experience.
Tove Lo, “Borderline”
Valentine’s Day often comes as a mixed bag — for some, it’s a wonderful day to celebrate your love for your partner; for others, it’s a bit much. Luckily, Tove Lo crafter a song for both those camps; “Borderline” sees Lo accessing the darker parts of love on this pulsating dance-pop bop. Pair that with the robot-revenge-fantasy sequel video to her 2022 video “No One Dies From Love,” and you’ve got another winner on your hands.
Pabllo Vittar feat. Anitta, “Balinha De Coração”
Don’t threaten Pabllo Vittar and Anitta with a good time, because they will take you up on it. “Balinha De Coração” (which translates to “Heart Candy”) sees these two Brazilian superstars going full chaos mode, embracing a hyperpop aesthetic to deliver you the pop treats you’ve been craving. The glitching beats and pitch-shifting vocals keep you on your toes throughout this wild track, as Pabllo and Anitta ask if you’d like a taste.
Rebecca Black, Let Her Burn
For the last few years, pop singer-songwriter Rebecca Black has been exploring as many new avenues as possible when it comes to new music, finding sounds that worked or didn’t. Let Her Burn, the singer’s long-awaited debut album, feels like the answer she’s been looking for. Infused with an electro-pop sensibility throughout and informed by Black’s own queer awakening, Let Her Burn takes the star to new sonic highs — and it is well worth your time.
VINCINT, “Romance”
Pop singer-songwriter VINCINT has made it a habit to write about love — the tender highs, the bitter lows and all the drama in between. But something about his latest single, “Romance,” feels different. Singing to a prospective, recently single partner, VINCINT confidently asserts that “I can give you romance.” But the music — a banging house beat with some of the singer’s sharpest vocals to date — gives the track a feeling of sexual urgency. There’s a confidence and swagger to this new VINCINT sound, and we can’t help but dig it.
Zolita, Falling Out / Falling In
Like it’s title might suggest, Falling Out / Falling In is an EP about duality. Rising pop singer Zolita splits her time evenly on the new project between pop-punk “f–k you” anthems (especially with the raucous single “Crazy Ex”) and tender sweet love songs (“Ashley,” in particular will pull at your heart strings). In this dichotomy, Zolita finds a clear narrative, telling her own story of moving through, out of and in between relationships; a pretty stellar feat to accomplish in six songs.
Moore Kismet feat. Anna Dellaria, “Three Little Words”
At a time of year where we often find ourselves talking about love, Moore Kismet wants to remind you that sometimes, love is toxic. “Three Little Words,” the rising dance phenom’s newest single, is filled to the brim the the bright, crisp sounds that the star has become so associated with. But listen to the words being sung by guest Anna Dellaria, and you’ll hear the story of a relationship you should not be in, yet just can’t help it. It’s fitting, then, that the song itself quickly becomes irresistibly catchy — no matter how hard you try to pry yourself away, you’re just going to want more from Kismet.
Chrissy Chlapecka, “I’m So Hot”
It’s time for an anthem for the bimbos of the world! Chrissy Chlapecka, the proud leader of Bimbo TikTok, wants you to wake up every day and declare “I’m So Hot,” as she does on this delicious new pop track. A campy, dance-fueled ode to the self, “I’m So Hot” oozes with the confidence and hilarious comedic energy that Chlapecka has perfected in her online videos, while also flexing a technical and creative prowess that proves she’s here for the long haul.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Whether or not you celebrate, whether you find it sweet or mawkish, Valentine’s Day is good for one thing — grand, sweeping declarations of love.
Every year as Feb. 14 approaches, many significant others consistently try (to varying degrees) to turn their love lives into a scene from their favorite romantic comedies. Whether they’re channeling Heath Ledger from 10 Things I Hate About You to perform Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” with a full marching band, or evoking the spirit of Say Anything’s John Cusack for a simpler, boombox-assisted rendition of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” Valentine’s Day is the day to tell your partner — and everyone else in their general vicinity — just how much you fancy them.
Naturally, the catalyst for many a romcom romantic gesture is the music that accompanies it. Some love songs are just naturally thought of in moments like this — Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” Beyoncé’s “Love on Top,” Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” and John Legend’s “All of Me” come to mind as perfect soundtracks for Valentine’s Day romanticism.
But what about artists from the LGBTQ community? In the extensive history of romcoms, queer folks don’t usually get to have their voices represented when it comes to the saccharine storytelling genre — so why not show your support by tracklisting your Valentine’s Day with songs from a community that often finds itself left out of the proceedings?
Below, Billboard lists 20 loves songs performed by LGBTQ artist for you to jam out to this Valentine’s Day.
After a year away from his annual charity event, Sir Elton John is ready to return to his Oscars party — and he’s bringing along the perfect guest to join him.
On Thursday (Feb. 9), the Elton John AIDS Foundation announced that pop singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama would serve as the headline performer at the organization’s annual Academy Awards viewing party. John and his husband, David Furnish, will serve as the evening’s hosts, while stars such as Eric McCormack and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez are set to make appearances as special guests.
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In a tweet celebrating the news, Sawayama thanked John for the opportunity, and touted the organization’s stated goal of ending the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. “Beyond excited to be performing at #EJAFOscars on March 12 in support of @EJAF,” the singer tweeted. “Founded by my wonderful friend @eltonofficial, they’re on an incredibly important mission to end HIV stigma and inequalities around the world, and to spread more love and compassion.”
In his own statement, John shared his excitement at getting to attend the party this year after he was unable to do so in 2022 due to scheduling conflicts with his record-breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. “I am overjoyed to be reuniting with old and new friends on one of my favorite nights of the year,” the “Rocket Man” singer said. “As always, I am so appreciative of every attendee, donor and sponsor who continues to support the Foundation’s work across the globe in the fight to end AIDS. With such meaningful generosity, we can make a healthier and more inclusive world.”
While John may not have been present for last year’s festivities, the star had good reason. Earlier this month, Billboard Boxscore announced that John had broken the record for the highest grossing tour of all time, with his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour raking in a stunning $818 million thanks to a recent leg of Australian shows from the pop icon.
Sam Smith is not ready to “Lose You” just yet — so they’re giving you another video to make sure you stick around.
On Wednesday (Feb. 9), Smith dropped the official lyric video for their track “Lose You,” off of their fourth studio album Gloria. Made on iPad, the video opens with a vibrantly-colored, illustrated Smith sitting back and relaxing to the tune of their song, before they begin to constantly shift and morph into various different shapes, as the song picks up.
The new clip was brought to life by illustrator Loreta Isac. Using the Procreate app for the iPad Pro, the creator says that she was inspired by Smith’s evocative lyrics, immediately coming up with the concept. “I was really in love with the imagination part of creating the lyric video, as it allowed me to feel the poetry of the song and then translate it into unexpected visual emotions and animation,” she said in a statement.
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Gloria earned Smith their fourth consecutive top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 where the album clocked in at No. 7 — meanwhile, over in the UK, the album hit No. 1 on the Official Charts. Speaking in a statement about the album, Smith called Gloria “a celebration, of all the genres and all the female divas, vocalists and pop writers that I love. I harnessed all those memories and put them into one album. And I wanted to be defiant.”
Check out the official lyric video for Sam Smith’s “Lose You” above.
After years of touring around the globe, Bob the Drag Queen is gearing up for her biggest tour yet — and this time, it’s with pop icon Madonna.
In a new interview with Billboard, the drag superstar dishes on her upcoming special guest slot on Madonna’s 40 year-retrospective world trek, the Celebration Tour. “You ever think about how lucky you are to be alive at the same time as someone else?” Bob says. “We get to be alive at the same time as Madonna.”
The pair were first introduced when Bob served as host for Madonna’s New York Pride show at Terminal 5 in 2022. “Her daughter recommended me to host, and Madonna just really took a liking to me after that,” she says. “She sang me ‘Happy Birthday,’ she’s bought me cupcakes, I talk with her kids, and we just became really fast pals.”
It wasn’t until November of last year that Madonna officially asked Bob to join her on her expansive tour — or at least, Madonna thought she was officially asking Bob. “She DM’d my mom on Instagram, because she thought it was my Instagram,” Bob says with a laugh. “My mom texted me like, ‘Madonna wants to work with me!’ I was like, ‘Mom, I’m pretty sure she thinks you’re me.’ It came so close to being my mom on tour with Madonna instead of me.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner teased that fans can expect “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” with the queen “there to help facilitate the journey” throughout the show’s run.
Fans spotted Bob in Madonna’s tour announcement video, in which the star had a series of her celebrity friends — including Diplo, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Jack Black and Lil Wayne — join her for a game of Truth or Dare. As Bob tells it, no one in the video knew what was supposed to happen until the cameras started rolling.
“I was the first one there, and then all of these people began streaming in. I was like, ‘Wait, Amy Schumer? Jack Black? What is going on?’” Bob recalls. “We all thought that we were individually going to be taking some photos with Madonna, none of us knew about this. Only Madonna could get us all to show up like that.”
When it comes to personal impact, Bob says she’s been moved by Madonna’s grace and trust in her. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” she says. “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘What?!’”
The Celebration Tour kicks off July 15 in Vancouver, B.C. Get your tickets to see Bob and Madonna on tour here.
In trying to list out everything that she’s been up to as of late, drag superstar Bob the Drag Queen finds herself at a loss.
Sitting out of drag in a small podcasting studio, the star quickly lists off her HBO series We’re Here, her podcast with Monét X Change Sibling Rivalry and her stand-up comedy career with ease — it’s only once she gets to her extensive touring history that she begins to falter.
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“I’ve done ‘Werq the World,’ ‘Drag Queen Christmas,’ ‘Christmas Queens,’ the [Drag Race] season 8 tour, ‘In the Dark,’” she tells Billboard via Zoom, before suddenly going quiet. “I know there’s more. You name a Drag Race tour, I’ve probably done it. A girl had to make a dollar.”
It would be unreasonable for Bob to remember everything she’s been up to — in the almost seven years since being crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8, the dexterous performer has been hard at work creating her own drag empire. Spreading her talents out through comedy, reality television, podcasting, touring and internet virality, Bob has made herself one of the most sought-after drag queens in the world.
Today, though, Bob’s focus is on her music career. After taking a five-year hiatus from releasing original tracks, Bob is returning with their long-awaited debut EP Gay Barz (out Friday, Feb. 10). The 6-track project sees the queen taking on sounds from hip-hop and house and infusing them with what Bob calls her own “campy” sensibilities.
“There’s always an innate sense of humor in what I do,” she explains. “Even on a song like ‘Black‘ [Bob’s fiery ode to Black excellence], I’m still using my sense of humor to make my point — like with the line ‘If Rosa Parks could see you now/ She’d be beatin’ that ass.’”
It certainly shows throughout the project. On the late-EP ode-to-backsides “Booty,” Bob spits that you ought to “put that ass on trial/ Burn the booty at the stake”; the hard-hitting titular cypher contains some of the queen’s hardest bars, including “I don’t speak spanish/ But I will top-a-tío.”
But Bob is not the only one to spit fire on “Gay Barz” — the title track served as something of a freestyle session between Bob and three other queer rappers; Kamera Tyme, Mikey Angelo and Ocean Kelly. On “Black,” Bob and Kelly are joined by nonbinary singer-songwriter BASIT who adds a delicious vocal hook to the fiery anthem. “I call us the GGT; the girls, gays and theys,” Bob quips, grinning.
It’s no accident that most of the four featured artists were discovered by Bob through TikTok, a platform she adopted just before the start of COVID and where she has since expanded her reign with a massive following of 2.8 million. “It kind of occurred to me when I saw people being made famous on TikTok that we don’t have to take the celebrities you hand us. We get to hand you celebrities,” Bob says. “So it was really important to bring these amazing artists on this journey with me. Hopefully this will lead people to going and checking out their stuff individually, because they are all so talented and prolific.”
While the project is focused on providing the laughs and featuring deserving, up-and-coming LGBTQ talent, Gay Barz also doesn’t shy away from the politics of it all. Even the cover art for the album, showing a younger Bob being escorted away by police, comes from the star’s political activism, where she was arrested in 2011 for protesting for marriage equality near New York’s Bryant Park.
“They would do these things called ‘field mugshots,’ where they take a picture of you right there in the streets with a Polaroid. When I was getting out of jail, I had the audacity to swing by the front door and say, ‘Can I have my picture please?’” Bob recalls. “It’s been one of my favorite pictures of myself since that day.”
On “Black,” for example, when Bob isn’t asking if you’re “ready to gagatron,” the star is calling out the inequity faced by Black and queer folks on a regular basis, underlining the point further saying “multiply by 10 if you’re black and trans.” The video takes the concept even further, showing Bob taking over a police cruiser and taking (literal) shots at Klan members.
Bob doesn’t fault any artist who’d rather focus on escapism in a time of political turmoil — “Not everyone needs to be political,” she says. But for her, not speaking on what she thinks is ultimately not an option. “I have a big, loud mouth, I’m an opinionated bitch,” she says. “That’s why I was in the streets shouting that ‘New York demands marriage equality now,’ because I had a voice and I wanted to make sure people heard it.”
It’s a quality Bob shares with one of her pop idols, Madonna. Now, Bob can call the star not only an inspiration, but a collaborator; for her highly-anticipated, career-spanning world tour later this year, Madonna tapped Bob as a special guest for every performance.
Their relationship started when Bob was asked to host Madonna’s New York Pride show in 2022 — upon rehearsing and meeting with the “Material Girl,” Bob says the pair instantly hit it off, with Madonna taking a keen interest in her career. Eventually, she asked Bob to join her on her world tour, to which the queen excitedly agreed.
Bob remains tight-lipped about what to expect for the tour, stating only that the show will be “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” and adding that “I’m there to help facilitate that journey.” But the drag star also makes clear that her inclusion on the tour feels like a genuine acknowledgement of her talent. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” Bob explains. “She doesn’t tell me, ‘You need to show up in full drag at 8:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning.’ She says, ‘Show up however it feels best for you.’”
The star even got Madonna’s input on parts of her new EP — Bob sent the video for “Black” to Madonna for any advice, and the “Like a Prayer” singer let her know that the clip was “phenomenal.” “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘what?!’” Bob says.
Still, on the eve of her EP’s release, Bob can’t help but feel the butterflies in her stomach at work. “I feel like I’m supposed to say, ‘Bitch, I’m ready for the EP to f–king take over the world!’ But in all honesty, I’m nervous,” she says. “I want the world to like my music.”
Whether or not they do, Bob also acknowledges that she’s done all that she can and more to put her everything into the new project. “I’m really happy with the work,” Bob says. “It says a lot about who I am, it says a lot about my journey. It feels like I’m doing this in a way that feels very true to me.”
While many on the Christian right were left clutching their pearls following Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ supposedly “satanic” performance at the 2023 Grammys, one organization closely familiar with the subject matter found it a bit boring.
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In an interview with TMZ, David Harris, a magister of the Church of Satan, said he thought Smith and Petras’ performance was “all right” and “nothing particularly special.” In the performance, Smith sported a red leather outfit with horns sprouting from a top hat, while Petras danced in a cage surrounded by fire and backup dancers dressed as devils.
However, when it came to the real-life people who were offended by the performance — especially public officials like Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene — Harris called them “delicate snowflakes,” while also turning their own criticism back on them. “It’s sad when politicians on a national stage use someone’s religion as a punchline,” he said.
Harris’ comments came after a wave of criticism for both Smith and Petras online following their performance. Cruz called the number “evil,” while Greene said the production was “demonic.”
Petras spoke a bit more about the performance after making history as the first transgender woman to win in the best pop duo/group performance category, arguing that those getting upset about it were also the ones who directly inspired it. “It’s a take on not being able to choose religion, and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live,” she said. “I think a lot of people have labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as ‘religiously not cool.’ I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it.”
Check out Petras’ acceptance speech for the award below:
Along with celebrating the queer community at large, the GLAAD Media Awards make sure to give vocal allies their flowers for supporting the LGBTQ community — and this year, the organization is recognizing two massive stars for their unyielding efforts.
On Wednesday (Feb. 8), GLAAD announced that recording artists Bad Bunny and Christina Aguilera would be the recipients of two allyship awards at its annual ceremony in Los Angeles taking place March 30. The organization also announced that out actor Jeremy Pope would receive the Stephen F. Kolzak award for his work in raising visibility for LGBTQ media professionals.
Bad Bunny is set to receive the annual vanguard award, which is presented to “allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Past honorees include mega-stars such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Cher. Speaking on Bunny’s inclusion, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said that the star’s consistent advocacy — whether through live performances, music videos or elsewhere — “redefines the positive influence Latin music artists can have within the LGBTQ community, and has set an example for all artists.”
Aguilera will receive the advocate for change award, given to “a person who, through their work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” The only two past recipients of the award are President Bill Clinton and pop superstar Madonna. Ellis said that through the dedication of her hit song “Beautiful” to the queer community, her work in raising money for HIV research and her staunch opposition to anti-queer policies in the U.S., Aguilera “loudly and proudly raises the bar for what it means to be a LGBTQ ally today.”
GLAAD previously announced their official nominees for the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards, including LGBTQ artists such as Demi Lovato, Kim Petras, Anitta, Fletcher and many more for their work in creating queer art in 2022.