A DIFFERENT BEAT OF THE DRUM: FIVE INFLUENTIAL LGBTQ MUSIC VIDEOS
Musicians and directors have used music videos to tell stories about the LGBTQ community for decades, even if the themes were often buried as subtext. Here are five influential music videos with LGBTQ themes worth revisiting:
Rough Trade, High School Confidential
Unrequited lesbian lust was the centrepiece of the Toronto new wave band’s precedent-setting 1980 single. The music video took a safer path, with androgynous lead singer Carole Pope singing while male-female flirtations played out in a school hallway.
RuPaul, Supermodel (You Better Work)
Few tracks were as fresh as this 1992 hit which rocketed the genderblurring drag performer onto the charts and into every corner of mainstream consciousness. Supermodel portrayed RuPaul as a fashionista who dominated the runways but still didn’t mind shooting hoops with the guys. Roll your eyes, but RuPaul showed that confidence and perseverance can go a long way.
Melissa Etheridge, Come to My Window
Her lyrics about a secret love were inextricably linked with Etheridge’s decision to come out as a lesbian in early 1993, just around the time this song was released. Etheridge — along with k.d. lang and Ellen DeGeneres — helped pave the way for a new era.
Christina Aguilera, Beautiful
The 2002 music video is sometimes overlooked for its breakthrough representation. The clip features a gay couple open-mouth kissing in public as they ignore the stares of passersby while another scene has man confidently dressing in women’s clothes.
Hozier, Take Me to Church
With more videos putting a positive spin on LGBTQ themes, it was startling to see the Irish musician’s frightening portrayal of a young gay couple, whose lives are torn apart when one is violently attacked over his sexuality. In the YouTube era the 2013 video sparked a viral sensation.