Madonna, Icon.

As part of LGBT History Month, I’ve followed in sosogay.org‘s footsteps and written a short piece on my own ‘Gay Icon’.

“Music makes the people come together”, that’s been Madonna’s mantra throughout her career and the attitude that helped her become the single most successful woman in music history, and cemented her place as a gay icon. Her message has always been one of equality, unity and freedom; especially the freedom offered by the dancefloor. “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free”, she admits on the anthemic hit, ‘Into the Groove’. It’s a message that I’ve held close since first hearing Madonna’s work as an 8-year-old kid. I had no idea that the woman on the radio was one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, and I certainly didn’t know she was a gay icon (I didn’t even know what a ‘gay icon’ was). I just knew that I liked what I heard and I wanted more. It’s been twelve years now since I was first exposed to Madonna, a lot in my life has changed but my admiration for her has remained constant.

Around age twelve I began to discover my sexuality; it was confusing, even frightening. I had never been ‘normal’, I had always known I wasn’t like most of the other boys, but now I was finally beginning to realize why. I sat down one day to watch my parents’ twelve-year-old VHS copy of ‘The Immaculate Collection’ and became instantly infatuated. ‘Vogue’ spoke to me the most. Madonna is at her most beautiful, the epitome of all the glamour we associate with superstars. She’s surrounded by gay men, performing dance moves lifted directly from New York’s gay cub scene as she sings, “if the music’s pumping, it will give you new life / You’re a superstar! / Yes, that’s what you are!” At the time I had no idea of Madonna’s legacy or her outspoken advocacy of gay rights, but I knew this; the most famous woman on earth had made me feel like I was ok. It didn’t matter if I liked boys or how others perceived me because of it. I could find an escape and freedom in the music.

I’m now twenty years old and nearing the end of University. Much more confident and secure in my skin, it’s hard to even remember my twelve-year-old self; but when I need to, I still escape into the music. Much of Madonna’s career pre-dates my birth so I can only imagine the sense of euphoria surrounding her releases as described by The Advocate. It doesn’t matter to me that I couldn’t experience it first hand, I still have her anthems and they are timeless. Madonna’s mutual love-affair with the gay community begun when she met dance teacher Christopher Flynn, of whom she has said, “he was the first man who made me feel good about myself and special”. Through her career, her songs, the images, the attitude, Madonna has made millions of members of the gay community feel good about themselves and special. Almost thirty years since her first single release, ‘Everybody’, she continues to be an inspiration for young LGBT people. She says Flynn, “saved her from high school turmoil”. Well Madonna saved me, and millions more, from ours.

I know a place where you can get away; it’s called a dancefloor! And here’s what it’s for!