Celebrating Pride Month with LGBTQ Musicians sin fronteras
Since Tchaikovsky in the 1860s (and probably centuries before), LGBTQ musicians have shaped the sound and culture of mainstream music. Early 20th-century performers such as Fred Barnes and Tony Jackson found fame despite social barriers, while the cabaret and drag scenes of the 1920s, led by figures like Julian Eltinge and Noël Coward, provided rare spaces for self-expression.
The postwar period brought heightened repression, forcing many artists to hide their identities, yet talents like Liberace and Billie Holiday (who was rumored to be bi-sexual) continued to make their mark. The arrival of rock’n’roll saw Little Richard (who both admitted and equivocated about being gay) and others continued to challenge conventions. But it was the glam rock movement of the 1970s—propelled by David Bowie (who gave us Ziggy Stardust) and Elton John—that signaled a turning point for LGBTQ visibility in music.
Disco’s rise in the late 1970s amplified queer voices with acts like Sylvester and the Village People achieving commercial success. However, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and a conservative backlash threatened these advances, although artists such as Boy George, Bronski Beat, and Freddie Mercury persisted.
Today, as major Pride celebrations in the United States and globally will take place during June, LGBTQ musicians continue to break barriers and leave an enduring imprint on music and culture. Artists like Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, Adam Lambert, Renee Rapp , Mika, Rufus Wainwright have openly declared themselves gay or non-binary or bisexual and topped the music charts. And of course, superstars who are not gay like Taylor Swift, Adele and Ed Sheeran vocally support gay rights.
So it is only fitting that Spotify turned over its Pride 2025 playlist to the Outloud Music Festival in West Hollywood (WeHo). It features 11.5 hours of music comprising 209 songs celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Artists such as Cher, Madona, Lizzo, Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa, Kim Petra, Lorde, Chapell Roan, and many more are featured.
Here in Mexico, LGBTQ+ artists have made an impact, as shown in the Spotify playlists Mexicopridemx and Divas de la Noche . On top of any list is Mariachi Arcoíris de Los Angeles, known as The Los Angeles Rainbow Mariachi, a gay mariachi led by Carlos Samaniego. Among its members is Natalia Meléndez, the first transgender woman to perform professionally as a mariachi.
Chavela Vargas, who passed away in 2012, was an iconic ranchera singer who lived openly as a lesbian later in life and remains a cultural touchstone for LGBTQ+ representation in Mexican music. Jhonny Caz, the third vocalist of Grupo Firme, is known for bringing LGBTQ+ visibility to regional Mexican music and for his public engagement to his boyfriend on stage.
Erika Vidrio is one of Mexico’s most successful female composers in regional Mexican music, is openly lesbian. Raymix, who pioneered “electro-cumbia”, came out as gay in 2020. Juan Manuel Torreblanca is an indie pop singer-songwriter who is openly gay and known for the anthem “Maricón”. Christian Chávez, former member of the pop group RBD, publicly came out as gay in 2007, becoming one of the first major Mexican pop stars to do so. Singer-songwriter Michelle Maciel from Sonora is recognized as the first transgender man to achieve mainstream recognition in Mexican music.
So, whether you are streaming Divas de la Noche or Pride Party 2025, there is no shortage of LGBTQ+ music in English or Spanish to celebrate Pride Month, or any month for that matter. Have fun!
Patrick O’Heffernan
Photo: Natalia Meléndez of Mariachi Arcoíris de Los Angeles
