Songs and music videos that champion the LGBTQ+ community
We love to bop to these tunes!
Last updated 19th Feb 2021
All weekend we're celebrating songs that have inspired, and given hope, to those in the LGBTQ+ community, whether it's a power ballad, an up-tempo track, or even some smooth R&B, there's plenty of artists who have released songs, alongside music videos, that champion the LGBTQ+ community and hold a special meaning in our hearts.
Here we've taken a stroll down memory lane to see which allies are pushing LGBTQ+ voices and messages to the forefront of society.
Lady Gaga - 'Born This Way'
Lady Gaga released ‘Born This Way’ in 2011, in which the lyrics suggest everyone has the right to be their true self and live their life using the identity they want. While Lady Gaga has never explicitly said the tune is aimed at LGBTQ+ audiences, many of her fans say the lyrics link to sexuality, including Elton John who coined the song the “new gay anthem."
Celebrity DJ and gay woman Tracy Young echoes Elton’s comment, telling NPR the lyrics symbolise the acceptance of sexual identities, adding, "It's definitely one of those songs that will always be played in every pride stage, and I think that was her intention."
Sam Smith - 'Lay Me Down'
Sam Smith’s 2014 ‘Lay Me Down’ music video holds a strong, pro-gay marriage message throughout the narrative. It shows two men getting married in a church, despite the law at the time forbidding this. In a statement on Instagram after the video was released, Sam said the video was a 'tribute to gay and transgender people everywhere.'
They candidly wrote, 'This video shows my dreams that one day gay men and women and transgendered men and women all over the world, like all our straight families and friends, will be able to get married under any roof, in any city, in any town, in any village, in any country', adding they hoped for a homophobia-free future.
MNEK - 'Girlfriend'
Aside from campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights and creating safe space music workshops for LGBTQ+ artists, MNEK has also released music which pushes LGBTQ+ messages to the forefront of social media.
In his 2018 single ‘Girlfriend’, MNEK wrote the lyrics, “If your girlfriend knew ‘bout me and you‘ bout what we do. Tell me what would she do?” This was a reference to a man struggling to come to terms with his bisexuality, with the music video linking to this struggle, representing how many feel about their sexual identity.
Years and Years - 'Sanctify'
In 2018, Years and Years’ single 'Sanctify' was released to celebrate the 'blessing' of being gay and was inspired by the band’s lead singer Olly Alexander’s brief relationship with a straight man.
The video plays on the notion from religion that being gay means the individual is “possessed by the devil." So Olly decided to play both the devil, tempting his lover to “sin”, while also playing the angel who "walks through the fire" to help him explore his sexuality.
Years and Years - 'Desire'
In 2016, the band also re-released their Number 1 single 'Desire' with Tove Lo, accompanied with a pro-LGBT video in order to “celebrate all different kinds of sexuality and queer identities.”
Ariana Grande - 'Break Your Heart Right Back'
In her song, ‘Break Your Heart Right Back’ from the album ‘My Everything’, Ariana Grande decided the narrative of the song should be about a gay love affair, after an ex-boyfriend cheated on her with a man, and later came out as gay.
The song also samples Diana Ross’ 'I’m Coming Out' track which is classed by the community as a gay anthem. Many fans have credited this song as one that has encouraged them to come out to their families.
Lil Nas X - ‘C7osure’
Lil Nas X publicly came out as gay on the last day of Pride Month in 2019. In the artwork for his single ‘C7osure’, he subtle-y used the Pride flag to tell the world about his sexuality – but no one ended up realising until he had to point it out himself.
However, once you listen carefully to the lyrics, the references to changing your life plan and being who you want to be start to make sense.
Taylor Swift - ‘You Need to Calm Down’
In Taylor Swift’s 2019 music video for ‘You Need to Calm Down’, she booked America’s most prominent queer talents to star in the video, increasing diversity on viewers' screens and across all social platforms.
The end of the video ends with a plea for fans to sign the Equality Act, to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools, and other public accommodations.
Little Mix - 'Only You'
In Little Mix’s 'Only You' video, the narrative to accompany the lyrics is about two girls who fall in love. When the video was released, the women were hailed by fans as "pride queens" for giving exposure to an LGBTQ+ love story.
Little Mix - 'Bounce Back'
But The X Factor winners haven't stopped there. In their 'Little Mix VS Dirty Trix - Bounce Back (Pride Version)', they dedicated the music video to the LGBTQ+ community, featuring drag queens and the Pride flag in pretty much every shot.
Little Mix - 'Secret Love Song'
And it's not just in their videos that the sassy foursome fight for LGBTQ+ justice, they have also dedicated some of their love songs to the community, including 'Secret Love Song.' They perform this song on tour and Jade gives a moving LGBTQ+ speech after it.
Katy Perry - 'Firework'
Katy Perry’s 'Firework' video was dedicated to the It Gets Better Project, a worldwide movement against harassment of LGBTQ+ youth. The video’s story-line is about a gay teen boy who embraces his sexuality. We stan.
Beyoncé - '7/11'
Beyoncé created an LGBTQ+-themed version of her '7/11' video to celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriage in America.
Beyoncé - 'All Night'
In her 'All Night' video, the Destiny's Child lead singer also incorporated same-sex couples into the music video to increase visibility in the mainstream media.
Demi Lovato - 'Really Don’t Care'
The video for Demi Lovato’s 2014 hit song 'Really Don’t Care' was filmed during her performance at LA Pride and featured a lesbian couple kissing and transgender activists.
Charli XCX - '1999'
On her latest album Charli, Charli XCX worked with 13 different artists for collaborations. Eight of these identified as queer, meaning her album made history in terms of celebrating queer artists' music.
Lizzo - 'Good as Hell'
Lizzo wrote 'Good as Hell' to celebrate what it means to be different from the norm and to embrace that difference. The singer, who says she is unable to label her sexuality due to the spectrum of sexuality, is a huge LGBTQ+ advocate and regularly performs at Pride events all across the world.
Cheryl - 'Fight For This Love'
Cheryl's first ever single 'Fight For This Love' has become one of the LGBTQ+ community's biggest anthems in spreading the message of 'Love is Love.' The former X Factor judge performs the song at all Pride events, and even performed the tune at Manchester Pride in 2019 while wrapped in a Pride flag. Iconic.
Hayley Kiyoko - 'Curious'
In 2018, Hayley Kiyoko released 'Curious' from her debut album 'Expectations.' The former Disney star, who took on a lead role in 'Lemonade Mouth', used to video to put forward images of same-sex couples and sexual desire.
Calum Scott - 'If Our Love Is Wrong'
After coming out as gay in 2017 following his Britain's Got Talent success, Calum Scott released his latest single to document his struggles of coming out under the public spotlight.
Watch our interview with LGBTQ+ ally Kim Petras discussing her latest single 'Malibu'
Now check out the celebrity allies for the LGBTQ+ community
Olly Alexander from Years and Years
Olly has been outspoken in his views, pushing pro-LGBTQ+ messages in his interviews with the media and through his music.
In 2016, the band re-released their number one single Desire with Tove Lo, accompanied with a pro-LGBT video in order to "celebrate all different kinds of sexuality and queer identities."
The following year, Olly released a documentary with the BBC called Growing Up Gay, which shed light on mental health issues among LGBTQ+ youth.
MNEK
Known to his fans as a trailblazer LGBTQ+ artist in the music industry, MNEK pays homage to his sexuality and LGBTQ+ fans in most of his music and TV work.
Part of that is being a role model to the younger generation, who turn to his music for escapism and guidance. Speaking about growing up MNEK stated, "I didn't always see someone that I could relate to, that would tell me that being black and gay is OK."
MNEK is also an advocate for diversity in the music industry. In 2019, the star set up writing camps dedicated to helping emerging LGBTQ+ singer-songwriters. The Grammy Award winning singer says the writing camps help to create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ artists to work in, offering support and lack of judgement - something he says artists like himself didn't receive when starting out.
Jade Thirlwall
Jade supports and campaigns for LGBTQ+ charities, including Stonewall. She took time out of recording LM5 to present at the charity's awards show.
One fan came out to their family because of the support they received from Jade - she tweeted them with congratulations, saying how proud she was of them.
Jade is also a huge drag fan, celebrating her birthday in 2019 in LA surrounded by drag queens and attending Drag Con. Her fellow band-mates are also huge fans of the drag scene, with many drag stars like Courtney Act appearing in their 'Power' music video.
Sam Smith
Sam came out as gay in 2014, and as non-binary in 2019, telling Jameela Jamil, "Non-binary genderqueer is that you do not identify in a gender. You are a mixture of different things, you are your own special creation. I'm not male or female."
Since then, Sam has won various LGBTQ+ related awards, including, Person Of The Year Award 2019 at the LGBT Attitude Awards. Having written songs about same-sex relationships and falling in love, the LGBTQ+ advocate was recognised for their work in transforming understanding around global identities. Discussing the win, Sam quipped, "In the words of Cheryl Cole, 'We have to fight, fight, fight, fight... fight for this love. And I have. Am I am."
In 2020, Sam was nominated for the MTV Music Artist Award at the British LGBT Awards 2020, alongside Ariana Grande, Lizzo and Kim Petras.
Charli XCX
Charli XCX makes it known she wants to collaborate with LGBTQ+ artists. In her third studio album, she collaborated with Troye Sivan, Christine and the Queens, Kim Petras, Big Freedia, Pabllo Vittar, Brooke Candy and Clairo.
To celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, Charli threw a queer music festival with her friend, and artist, Troye Sivan. It was specifically for queer people. It is common for LGBTQ+ festivals to book straight artists to perform, so every artist was from the LGBTQ+ community, with the events profits going to GLAAD.
Charli XCX attributes her success to her LGBTQ+ fans, writing in an open letter to Billboard, "The LGBTQ community has shaped who I am as an artist today. I am thankful every day for my friends, fans, and collaborators, who belong to this very special community. Without you I'd be nothing."
Harry Styles
Harry is a hugely popular straight ally within the LGBTQ+ community. Firstly, he created t-shirts with the slogan, "Treat People With Kindness", with the profits going to GLSEN, an LGBTQ+ education charity.
He helped a woman come out to a mother at his concert after she wrote on her sign, "I'm gonna come out to my parent's because of you."
Harry waves Pride flags at concerts. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2019, Styles said that he waves the flag at his shows to help fans feel less alone. "I want to make people feel comfortable being whatever they want to be," he said. "Maybe at a show you can have a moment of knowing that you're not alone."
The singer continued, "I'm aware that as a white male, I don't go through the same things as a lot of the people that come to the shows. I can't claim that I know what it's like, because I don't. So I'm not trying to say, 'I understand what it's like.' I'm just trying to make people feel included and seen."
He even donated his Gucci rainbow shoes to a British-based LGBTQ and mental health charity.
Kim Petras
29-year-old Kim Petras currently has the undivided attention of millennials in 2020, becoming a huge hit on streaming sites like Spotify, as well as in the LGBTQ+ community, predominantly from her transgender identity.
Kim says she is keen to help other young people wanting to come to terms with their gender identity. Speaking to The HuffPost, "I'm super proud of being transgender, and I love the rest of the community. I want to be a good example."
However, the star has also made it aware that she doesn't want to be simply known as "the transgender pop star". Kim is keen to prove to the world transgender people are not "tokens." Speaking about potential music collaborations, Kim told iNews, "I've said no to a lot of collaborations where it was obviously like: 'We need to get this person a gay fanbase, so we'll put Kim Petras on their track. I'd like to be written about because I'm good at what I do."
Demi Lovato
In 2016, Demi Lovato was announced as the recipient of the Vanguard Award from GLAAD for their continued support of the LGBTQ community. They then went on to become the face of the Human Rights Campaign's Americans for Marriage Equality Initiative before same-sex marriage was legalised.
Two years before their GLAAD award win, Demi's 2014 hit song 'Really Don't Care' was filmed during their performance at LA Pride and featured a lesbian couple kissing and dancing transgender activists.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is a huge ally of the LGBTQ+ community around the world, having taken part in many marches, including the National Equality March in America, and has been praised for her compassion towards her LGBTQ+ fans.
Back in 2011, she released 'Born This Way', which was once described as the "new gay anthem" by the legend Elton John. Many have said the lyrics are symbolic of living your true self and finding happiness in the body you were born in. Alongside this, Gaga volunteers at an LGBTQ+ homeless youth centre in New York and encourages her fans to volunteer when they can.
And let's not forget, Gaga convinced the director of A Star Is Born Bradley Cooper to make a drag bar the initial meeting point for her and his character in the Oscar-winning film in order to increase diversity onscreen. When accepting her Oscar for the film, Gaga paid homage to her LGBTQ+ fan base, saying she hoped more award shows will become more inclusive of all gender identities.
Lizzo
Lizzo says her music is meant to be enjoyed by those who have felt shunned by society, because that is the experience she has had throughout the course of her life.
Lizzo wrote 'Good as Hell' to celebrate what it means to be different from the norm and to embrace that difference.
Lizzo argues she is an ally for the LGBTQ+ community, telling Teen Vogue, "I've always stood up for the underdog and the underrepresented because I can't escape from that myself," she said. "I can't wake up one day and not be black. I can't wake up one day and not be a woman. I can't wake up one day and not be fat. I always had those three things against me in this world, and because I fight for myself, I have to fight for everyone else."
She has also been open about her own sexuality, telling Billboard, "When it comes to sexuality or gender, I personally don't ascribe to just one thing. I cannot sit here right now and tell you I'm just one thing. That's why the colours for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow! Because there's a spectrum, and right now we try to keep it black and white. That's just not working for me."
Ariana Grande
In 2013, Grande teamed up with Seventeen Magazine to raise awareness around homophobic online bullying.
Grande has taken to Twitter to tweet her support following the US Supreme Court's ruling to make gay marriage legal. 'YAAAAAAS AMERICAN. LOVE WON. LOVE WINS. AND IT ALWAYS. WILL'(sic). She then celebrated the success during her Dance On The Pier set, where her backing dancers had body paint in the style of gay art legend Keith Haring.
Ariana also wrote an open letter for Billboard Pride in 2018, saying she was "eternally indebted to and inspired by the LGBTQ community" for her success.
Kylie
Kylie has championed for LGBTQ+ rights as a straight ally, and even has a Drag night in Australia dedicated to her. Kylie has been extremely critical about Australia's 2013 court ruling against same-sex marriage.
In her Kiss Me Once show, which toured the UK and Europe in 2014, the song 'All The Lovers' was performed against a backdrop of footage showing heterosexual, gay and lesbian couples, symbolising male-female, male-male and female-female relationships.
Taylor Swift
Taylor's music video for 'You Need to Calm Down' featured some of America's most prominent queer celebrities. The end of the video ended with a plea for fans to sign the Equality Act, to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in their places of work, homes, schools and other public accommodations.
In her latest 2020 album, Folklore, one song titled 'Betty' is said to be a song for those in the LGBT community.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry's 'Firework' video was dedicated to the It Gets Better Project, a worldwide movement against harassment of LGBTQ youth. The video's storyline is about a gay teen boy who embraces his sexuality.
Her 'Swish Swish' music video was in homage to Drag Queens, and her performance of the song on SNL only featured New York Drag Queens. Additionally, Katy made it her mission to meet a victim of the Orlando Club Shooting after he said her song 'Rise' played on repeat during his recovery.
And like the icon she is, Perry teamed up with Taylor Swift after Trump banned transgender military personnel.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z
In 2011, Beyoncé told Pride Source her LGBT fans were her inspiration, and seven years later, at her 2018 Global Citizen Festival performance, Queen B lined up in a row with her dancers, each wearing a different colour, to make a human Pride flag.
In 2017, she and her husband Jay-Z were announced as the recipients of the Vanguard Award from GLAAD for their continued support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Cheryl
Cheryl joined the debate around plans to legalise same-sex marriage in 2012, conducting interviews with The Evening Standard around the topic.
She then performed at Manchester Pride 2019 to hit reviews, alongside Todrick Hall. Performing iconic Pride songs, as well as her own, Cheryl dressed in a LGBTQ+ flag which had "Fight For This Love" written on - a nod to her debut single, which many believe has LGBT undertones.
If you love this music you can listen to more on our sister station Hits Radio Pride. Hits Radio Pride aims to educate and raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and encourage inclusion and tolerance.