In honor of Pride Month, our team of writers set out to highlight the queer artists who have defined modern culture as we know it. For decades, these iconic figures have challenged societal norms to embrace unfiltered identity, unbridled love, and radiant joy. Through music, art, and film, queer artists have reshaped social boundaries and broadened understanding of their significance on the world. This influence was not only transformative in its time, but has been immortalized in history.
1920s-60 – By Camryn Kim
One hundred years ago, America was Charleston-ing its way through the Roaring Twenties—a vibrant, turbulent decade synonymous with Prohibition, flappers, and speakeasies. But aside from the wild Great Gatsby-esque bashes and the oh-so-iconic bob haircut, the 1920s also gave rise to the Harlem Renaissance and Bohemian movements across Europe, both of which were heavily influenced by queer artists (many of whom you may not know about!).
One such visionary was Claude Cahun, a French photographer hailed as a pioneer of Surrealist photography, an accomplished essayist and poet, and a staunch anti-Nazi activist. Cahun often expressed sentiments that historians now associate with gender fluidity, writing in her autobiography “Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.” Celebrated for her work in self-portraiture, Cahun often sported a shaved head and deliberately androgynous clothing, defying restrictive gendered expectations surrounding physical appearance and self-expression.
Another queer powerhouse of the Roaring Twenties was Gladys Bentley, an acclaimed blues singer who rose to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance. An openly proud lesbian who often flirted with women in the audience, Bentley was a household name at NYC underground gay speakeasies like Harry Hansberry’s Clam House and the Ubangi Club. She frequently shared the stage with drag queens and was best known for her gender-bending performance style, ditching traditional women’s fashion for her signature top hat, tuxedo, and cane.
Jumping ahead ten years to the 1930s—an era characterized by political crisis, economic collapse, and pre-World War II tensions—we find not only more acclaimed LGBTQ+ performers and artists, but also powerful visual records of queer life. One of the most enduring (and unexpected) images of queer iconography produced during this decade is The Gay Deceiver (1939) by legendary street photographer Weegee. Known for his high-contrast black-and-white photos, Weegee often captured handcuffed suspects being taken into police custody. The subject of The Gay Deceiver is an unidentified young man arrested for cross-dressing in New York City, whom Weegee photographed stepping out of a police car wearing a fur coat, a long skirt, stockings, and heels. Instead of covering his face and hiding his identity like other arrestees featured in Weegee’s work, the young man proudly smiles for the camera and even lifts up his skirt to show off his heels and stockings. Forever immortalizing a fleeting moment in time, The Gay Deceiver has come to symbolize defiance, pride, and queer joy in the midst of repression and uncertainty.
1970s – By Sofie Foster
This past December, I finished Just Kids, a book that, like for many other people, now stands as one of my favorites of all time. When diving into influential queer artists and icons of the 1970s, I must recognize Patti Smith, a musician, artist, writer, painter, and more, who held a significant role in the rise of androgyny and a shift from strict, gendered personal expression that began during this decade. In her writing and art, Smith depicts resistance against a traditional heteronormative relationship—in finding herself, leaning away from traditional feminine expectations, and while watching her partner, Robert Mapplethorpe, discover his identity through his art and sexuality.
Like Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe was an influential queer icon from this era. An artist across a multitude of mediums, Mapplethorpe found his identity and homosexuality through his art, and is most well-known for his documentation of the male form and exploration of sexuality and expression through photography.
Lastly, I cannot forget David Bowie, a musician who still lives on today through his deeply unique personal expression and extensive discography. Rejecting any sort of expectation of his time, Bowie embodied his unique artistic perspective through the way he created and expressed himself. He took on a multitude of second personas—like Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and Halloween Jack—each dedicated to a different project during his career. Within his musical world, Bowie was absolutely a performer, leaning into theatrical elements and a loud, shocking stage presence that broke the boundaries of a traditional rock star of the time. Shifting personas and projects dramatically, he proves to be an important queer musical icon of his time, influencing even musicians of today to lean into their wildest expressions.
Overall, the 1970s were a decade of leaning into queer expression, soundtracked by an extensive list of other musicians and artists. There are so many to recognize–I think of icons such as Queen, Elton John, and many more. All of these artists helped establish the ‘70s as a shift in queer acceptance and artistry, furthering LGBTQ+ history in a fundamental way.
1980s – By Nathan Rifkin
I would be remiss to mention the 1980s without immediately discussing the phenomenon that was Freddie Mercury. Widely regarded as not only one of the best queer singers in rock but one of the best artists ever to touch the genre, Freddie Mercury fundamentally shaped the music scene in the 1980s. His incredible vocal range allowed him to belt all of Queen’s greatest hits, like Bohemian Rhapsody, which became the UK’s third best-selling single of all time. In 2018 the song became the most listened to of the 20th century. Freddie Mercury performed with Queen until his death due to AIDS in 1991. He was 45 at the time of his passing.
Boy George, lead singer of the band Culture Club, rose to fame during the David Bowie era of glam rock. His performance matched his inspiration, as his androgynous style became his signature look. Boy George formed Culture Club with band members in 1981 and quickly flew to the top of the charts. Their single, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” topped charts around the world and was quickly followed in success by their song “Time.” Boy George is openly gay and discussed his discoveries about his sexuality in the documentary Living with Boy George.
Finally, the 1980s brought Madonna. Internationally recognized as a gay icon, she has spoken and acted on behalf of the queer community throughout her life, once stating that she “wouldn’t have a career if it weren’t for the gay community.” The Queen of Pop has released 18 multi-platinum albums and is the best-selling female musician of all time, holding twelve number one singles on the US Billboard chart. She released her debut Madonna in 1983, which hit number 8 on the US Billboard chart. Her follow-up project Like a Virgin spearheaded her to fame, making her the first woman to sell over 5 million copies of an album.
1990s – By Giordana Sidhu
k.d. lang remains, to this day, one of the many artists that contributed to what I’m sure were thousands of gay awakenings in the early 90s, reaching stardom and admiration for her cowpunk tunes and proud lesbian identity. Rising to fame at a time when the LGBTQ+ community continued to face discrimination, especially within popular media, k.d. lang broke mainstream barriers, both through her music that defied genres of contemporary punk and country, creating a streamline for the two, but also through her androgynous style and proud identity. Her 1992 single and star-launcher “Constant Craving” continues to melt the hearts of yearners, regardless of identity, who resonate with her emotional and delicate portrayal of the inescapable condition of desire and love. This was the first song of hers I was ever exposed to, which inadvertently launched me down the rabbit hole of her beautiful discography, especially her most popular album, “Drag.” Her contributions to the LGBTQ+ community have gone beyond lesbian visibility to also advocate for awareness around AIDS, using her platform to advocate for education on the illness, as well as protection for the community. A musical pioneer of the LGBTQ+ community, k.d. lang continues to be embraced, dismantling traditional views of femininity and androgyny while also pushing forward more resonant country music, as well as being the face of a series of niche TikTok edits which continue to create gay awakenings for many gals.
Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo encouraged a push for drag into the mainstream in their heartwarming and incredibly endearing 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. The trio not only created memorable performances that continue to be celebrated but also introduced Middle America to queer aesthetics and culture. This is one of my favorite films of all time and remains that of many, modernizing a period where drag culture was still not celebrated in the mainstream and was instead viewed with tolerance. The film counters these ideas through a patient introduction to queer culture, introducing the characters of its narrative to drag and overall queer inclusion in a manner that allows for growth and learning, disregarding ignorance and instead seeking to teach not only basic acceptance but love and true embrace.
Alongside this film, cinema continued to create new spaces for those in the community to enlighten and spread awareness of their issues and identities, pushing for inclusion and understanding. The 1990 film Paris is Burning is one of the most outstanding films that has been discussed within the LGBTQ+ community, opening up an entirely new door for the decade and introducing ball culture, especially through the eyes of Black, Latino, and transgender identities. The film presented audiences, both gay and straight, to ballroom culture and voguing in Harlem, New York, in the late 1980s, serving as not only an educational experience for viewers but also an emotional one that touches on community and desire for visibility in an otherwise intolerant world. The glamor presented of walking runways, joining houses, and expression through dance is fulfilled through the found family that the documented figures find within each other, especially in their self-affirmation despite the series of forces that threaten to disrupt their culture and identity.
1990s – By Hetty Turner
You follow FilmUpdates on Twitter (now known as “X”), posts featuring images of Olivia Wilde strapping Cooper Hoffman down in leather might’ve stumbled upon your feed (oh, and Charli XCX is there too). This is I Want Your Sex (2026), the newest film installment from revered filmmaker Gregg Araki. If you like your movies to have the weird, the sexual, the colorful, and the queer, you’ll like Gregg Araki. Born in Los Angeles in 1959, to Japanese American parents, Araki went on to earn his B.A. in filmmaking at UCSB and his M.F.A. at USC. A pioneer of ‘New Queer Cinema’, his distinct voice has accrued a cult-like following–most notably for his Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy. The trilogy consists of the films: Totally F****ed Up (1993), The Doom Generation (1995), and Nowhere (1997). In my favorite of these films, The Doom Generation, Jordan White states, “I feel like a gerbil smothering in Richard Gere’s butthole”, and what better way to encapsulate the isolation and suffocation of adolescence. The Doom Generation follows a high school couple who, after picking up a stranger, accidentally kill a gas station clerk–spurring them onto an odyssey of violence, sex, and banality. Araki breaks down the barriers between these three characters and, in doing so, paints a stylized portrait of queer and adolescent America in the 90s. These works explore love, sexuality, and identity as it manifests within the youth of Generation X during the HIV/AIDS epidemic—coupled with Araki’s aliens, talking severed heads, and murderous fast food workers.
Another queer icon of the 90s is none other than the legendary Tracy Chapman. Her impact and talent have never ceased to move an audience—I couldn’t spot a dry eye around during her performance of her single ‘Fast Car’ with Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammys. Her debut album, Tracy Chapman (1988), featuring the single “Fast Car,” was released in 1988, and she continued to create beautiful music through and beyond the 90s, one of my favorites being New Beginning (1995). Many pieces of Chapman’s work have been adopted as anthems for the working class, Black American experiences, and the lesbian community. Accepting her Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for “Fast Car” in a black leather jacket and an androgynous outfit, for a song with soulful lyrics about new beginnings and genderless partnership, created a space for lesbian listeners to see themselves in. While notoriously private about her personal life, self-proclaimed lovers such as author Alice Walker have contributed to the perception of her lesbian identity–but regardless, her impact and acceptance in the LGBTQ community has been withstanding. Tracy Chapman created a voice in the 90s for queer beginnings and possibilities in beautiful folk vocals and guitar melodies.
When looking into the world of 90s queer artists, it’s hard not to come across the name George Michael. One half of the British pop duo Wham!, who debuted in 1981 and released their top-charting “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” off their second album, Make It Big (1984), George Michael rose to stardom quickly. However, unlike Gregg Araki or Tracy Chapman, George Michael wasn’t allotted control or privacy regarding his sexuality and was outed in 1998 after getting arrested for “lewd acts” in Beverly Hills. In a far-from-accepting world, George Michael’s public identity was imposed on him, leaving him at the mercy of a merciless media. But George Michael had been, and continued to be, a voice for queer people. He publicly acknowledged writing his hit “Jesus To A Child” in 1996 about the loss and terror wrought by the HIV/AIDs crisis. George Michael continued to use his music as a channel for defiant pride, releasing his lead single “Outside” (1998) off of his album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998) from Epic Records, with references to his outing with noise reports of his own arrest and unabashed lines such as “I’d service the community, but I already have, you see”. The song has a strong “retro–disco” presence with heavy funk elements that turned events surrounding his sexuality into inspiration.
Coming into the 90s, queer artists were able to channel their feelings of suffocation and isolation into a creative metamorphosis, inspiration, and celebration of their identities. Through their craft, artists such as Gregg Araki, Tracy Chapman, and George Michael entered into the cultural consciousness a positive identification with queer identities. In transforming isolation into art, these artists left behind more than music and film—they created enduring visions of queer possibility.
2000s-Present – By Lauren Kim
Today’s queer community continues the legacy of a decades-long fight for liberation. From the United States Supreme Court codifying federal marriage equality in 2015 to blossoming representation in mass media, queer culture has become increasingly visible in the mainstream. These three selections are queer stories that most shaped my understanding of my lesbian identity.
But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)
Though But I’m A Cheerleader premiered just before the turn of the century, its influence is found even decades later. The indie film turned cult classic has a distinct flavor of camp queerness that can be traced in later projects like Jennifer’s Body (2009) and Bottoms (2023).
But I’m A Cheerleader opens with an intervention surrounding protagonist Megan, a cheerleader who fantasizes about kissing her teammates instead of her boyfriend, Jared the football player. Megan is sent to True Directions, where she’s tasked with accepting and squashing her lesbian identity. Instead, Megan meets and confesses her love to Graham.
Although the film is remembered for its tongue-in-cheek humor and RuPaul’s uncanny cameo as straight camp director Mike, But I’m A Cheerleader forwards commentary about compulsive heterosexuality and conversion therapy that remains resonant today. More than twenty-five years later, But I’m A Cheerleader is beloved for its messaging of found family and queer joy.
The L Word (TV, 2004-2009)
Over 71 episodes and 6 seasons, The L Word chronicles the highs and lows of five West Hollywood lesbians. At a time when queer women were largely absent from mainstream media, the series built a world where lesbian friendships, heartbreaks, and ambitions took center stage. The show regularly features “The Chart,” a social network created by character Alice Pieszecki that highlights that any lesbian can be connected to another through a string of ex-lovers.
The L Word celebrates lesbian history. The soundtrack features songs from riot grrl bands Le Tigre and Bikini Kill, and in the fourth season, Shane tries to get another character to guess “Kathleen Hanna” in a game of celebrity. Shane cites Le Tigre, Julie Ruin, and Bikini Kill, and Alice steps in to explain that Hanna “pretty much started the whole riot grrl music scene.”
The series is far from perfect – several jokes and themes have aged poorly since the 2000s – but it remains one of the most celebrated pieces of lesbian media. The series helped define the “power lesbian” archetype – educated, successful, and who Carrie Bradshaw asserts to “seem to have everything: great shoes, killer eyewear, and the secrets to invisible makeup.”
SOPHIE (artist)
British producer and trans artist SOPHIE was a pioneer of electronic music. Breaking out in 2014 with singles “Lemonade” and “Hard,” Sophie’s futuristic production style pushed the envelope of what electropop could sound like. Over the course of her career, SOPHIE produced for talents like Charli XCX, Madonna, Shygirl, Vince Staples, and Kim Petras.
Following her tragic death in Athens in 2021, Sophie is remembered as the Mother of Hyperpop. Her legacy carries on in queer EDM artists like Underscores, Jane Remover, Frost Children, and MGNA Crrrta.
