This month, we were able to celebrate Pride thanks to incredible people who paved the way like Marsha P. Johnson, a trans woman who fought all her life to create a safe place for lgbtqia+ people. She was the founder of STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) along with friend Sylvia Rivera. She was one of the founders of Gay Liberation Front too. Marsha inspired countless people and in return inspire others.
This article is focused on poc lgbtqia+ artists who inspired us with their coming out story, advocated for their rights ,and are proud of their sexuality.
KEHLANI
Let’s start with something strong: World renowned singer, Kehlani.
“Wanna know what’s new about me? I finally know I’m a lesbian,” she came out in an instagram live this April. You may know her from her collaborations with Zedd, and Ty Dolla Sign or from her stunning release, “Gangsta” . She recently released a new song on 18 of May, “Back Together” about the will to not go back with the ex. The song is catchy and empowering, marking multiple times in the chorus her point that she knows she deserves better and doesn’t want to continue the relationship.
“Damn, I love who we are when we ain't back together
I love who we are when we ain't back together”“Need you to know we ain't gettin' back together
But that doesn't mean that we can't come together
I finally want better, so whatever, we made up
'Cause I love who we are when we ain't back together”
The singer spoke about her sexuality and related privilege sharing: “I think a lot of artists who we talk about and say, “Oh, they had to come out or they had to do this”, a lot of them can’t hide it. A lot of it is very much in how they present. It’s tougher for them. It’s tougher for trans artists. It’s tougher for Black gay men. It’s tougher for Black masculine gay women.
I didn’t even really have to come out in my private life. I don’t walk down the street and have people look at me and go, “Oh, I bet she’s queer. Or I bet that she’s into women,' or anything like that because of the way I present. That’s all privilege.
I think that there are quite a few artists who were truly at the forefront but weren’t able to make the strides that I was able to make being 100% myself because of the way they present, and the biases and the phobias of the American public and the world. I’ve been lucky, super lucky.”
Bronze Avery
Bronze Avery is an openly gay singer that loves to be fluid about his music from pop to dance-pop, talking about about his life in his music with a desire to be more authentic.
Asked by Gay Times how his coming out affected his career he answered:
“It changed everything. I wasn’t out for a lot of the beginning of my music, and I don’t think a lot of people were able to connect with me. There’s a certain level of authenticity, and everyone has their own timings as to when it’s right for them, but for me, it personally changed everything. I felt so much more confident in myself. I thought people were understanding my perspective more, and I was able to see that my audience are people just like me, which is amazing. I was out at a club in LA, just the other night, and someone said to me: “You make such good music for people like us!” I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t realise this was something that could maybe change a lot of different perspectives.’ I was just making music and telling my truth, and I didn’t realise it was impacting other people at all.”
He also shared that artists are not obliged to tell their views on topics but when they’re sure about doing it “it can really change everything.”