Chase T. M. Anderson: “‘Queer’ Has Become One of the Most Elegant and Powerful Words I Use to Describe Myself”

I appreciate the July 18 op-ed in The Advocate by Chase T. M. Anderson (right). Entitled “I’m Queer, Not Gay. It Matters,” Anderson’s piece is a direct response to Matthew Vines’ June 30 New York Times op-ed, “I’m Gay, Not Queer. It Matters.”

Vines’ piece elicited strong responses from many within the LGBTQI+ communities, especially from those who identify as “queer.” (See the previous Wild Reed post, “Queer Perspectives on an Anti-Queer Op-Ed.”)

Following are excerpts from Anderson’s op-ed.

_____________

The terms “gay” and “queer” are not synonymous. When someone says “gay” to me these days, I think of cisgender. What comes to mind are people who say they’re “woke” but are silent as transgender people across the country are attacked. I think of being locked into acting how the heterosexual society wants our community to act.

I think of palatable.

Queer is often associated with describing the LGBTQ+ spectrum, an umbrella term of sorts. The word “queer” for many has been reclaimed – from a derogatory slur to a word of empowerment. This reclamation began after the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, where our community fought against police raiding the Stonewall Inn, a place of gathering for queer people. Over time, the word has come to be a term of inclusion for many. It is a term that describes how many people live outside of the binary of male and female, and how sexual orientation and identity can be fluid over time. The word has transformed into a statement of empowerment, of “potential and a future, not something that is stagnant.”

Queerness is also an emphatic no to the cisgender, male-centric, ableist, White, inflexible way we've been taught that we “must” live from a young age.

. . . “Queer” has become one of the most elegant and powerful words I use to describe myself.

It has been a word I have reclaimed for myself.

Telling people I’m queer comes with a certain gravitas. A certain “do not come for me unless I send for you.” The word is a rose with thorns – one that combines a gentleness with the passion of someone who has had to fight to survive. When I say I am queer, it means I am here to battle for our community’s rights while wearing gold eye glitter as armor. To be queer in America means that I will also bring the softness of someone who years ago envisioned a world where we all were frolicking and got along.

To be queer, to me, is to hold onto that hope while dealing with the realities of now. At its core, being queer means being free to express myself however aligns most with my internal sense of self – and that is a power that many people fear and try to control.

By calling myself queer, I no longer let anyone dictate how I should label myself or try to have me “fit in” to a society not built for me.

After all, I’m queer, and not gay. It matters.

To read Chase T. M. Anderson’s op-ed in its entirety, click here.

Chase T. M. Anderson, MD (he/she/they), is an assistant professor in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and Medical Director of The Muses Program for Minoritized Youth. You can follow them on Instagram, X, and BlueSky.


Related Off-site Links:
Queer Isn’t the Threat. Respectability Politics Is – Brandon Robertson (Brandon Robertson (June 30, 2026).
Actually, I’m Gay and I’m Queer. It Matters – Emma Cieslik (Washington Blade, July 2, 2026).


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Queer Perspectives on an Anti-Queer Op-Ed
• Cassandra Snow on Reclaiming the Word “Queer”
• Dyllón Burnside: “For Me, the Term Queer Just Opens Up Space”
• Reclaiming and Re-Queering Pride
• The Queer Liberation March: Bringing Back the Spirit of Stonewall
• Michelangelo Signorile on the Rebellious Purpose of Queer Pride
• Queer Native Americans, Colonialism, and the Fourth of July
• North America: Perhaps Once the “Queerest Continent on the Planet”
• Afdhere Jama’s “Love Song to the Queer Somali”
• Thoughts on Queer Cinema
• Queer Black Panther
• The New Superman: Not Necessarily Gay, but Definitely Queer
• Adam Sandel on the Queer Appeal of Harry Potter
• Dusty Springfield: Queer Icon
• David Bowie: Queer Messiah
• In a Historic First, Country Music’s Latest Star Is a Queer Black Man
• Kuan Yin: “A Mirror of the Queer Experience”
• Barbara Anne Kozee on Knowing the Divine in “Queer Time”
• Three Radical (Religious) Ideas for Queer Liberation
• Recovering the Queer Artistic Heritage
• Sister Teresa Forcades on Queer Theology
• Our Lives as LGBTQI People: “Garments Grown in Love”
• Tian Richards’ Message to Queer Youth: “Every Part of Your Identity Is a Superpower”
• Mia Birdsong on the “Queering of Friendship”
• Kadeem
• “Queer Love Is My Divine Companion”

Keiynan Lonsdale

Something special for "music night" this evening at The Wild Reed. . . .

It’s the beautiful music video for Nigerian-Australian singer-songwriter Keiynan Lonsdale’s recently released “piano version” of his 2018 song, “Kiss the Boy.” (To hear the original version and view its music video, click here.)

I don’t know about you, but I much prefer – musically and visually – this latest version of Lonsdale’s “Kiss the Boy” . . .

. . . I’m scared to show just how I feel
’Cause people talk
Don’t want to worry ’bout whatever
Just got to know your deal
See, half the time I’m wondering if this is real
Why not say somethings on my mind if I feel love
But when the moments right I freeze
That’s how I know my heart is his

If you want to kiss the boy
Then you better kiss the boy right now
You ain’t got to be afraid of the words you want to say right now
’Cause love is a game we deserve to play out loud
So you want to play then you better kiss the boy
Oh, you better kiss the boy right now

. . . I might not say the one thing on my mind cause it’s too tough
But we lose our chance when we don’t try
On second thought yeah, I think I might

. . . Don’t want to hide, don’t want to hide
Most of my life I’ve been terrified
Spending my days always questioning
Am I wrong to love a man
I realise I realise ain’t gotta hide this heart of mine
I’m gonna fight just to let you know to open
Your light and let it glow

So if you want to kiss the boy then you
Better kiss the boy right now (Oh, yeah)
You ain’t gotta be afraid of the words you
Want to say right now (You gotta say it, baby)
’Cause love is a game we deserve to
Play out loud (We deserve our love)
So if you want to play then you better kiss the boy
Oh, you better kiss the boy right now
If you want to kiss the boy
Then you better kiss the boy right now

For a “behind-the-scenes” look at the making
of the above music video, click here.

Related Off-site Links:
Keiynan Lonsdale on His Single, “Kiss the Boy” – Rose Riddell (Coup de Main Magazine, May 29, 2018).
Keiynan Lonsdale Performs Hits from Rainbow Boy on Billboard Live at-Home – Billboard (October 11, 2020).

Previously featured musicians at The Wild Reed:
Dusty Springfield | David Bowie | Kate Bush | Maxwell | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Prince | Frank Ocean | Maria Callas | Loreena McKennitt | Rosanne Cash | Petula Clark | Wendy Matthews | Darren Hayes | Jenny Morris | Gil Scott-Heron | Shirley Bassey | Rufus Wainwright | Kiki Dee | Suede | Marianne Faithfull | Dionne Warwick | Seal | Sam Sparro | Wanda Jackson | Engelbert Humperdinck | Pink Floyd | Carl Anderson | The Church | Enrique Iglesias | Yvonne Elliman | Lenny Kravitz | Helen Reddy | Stephen Gately | Judith Durham | Nat King Cole | Emmylou Harris | Bobbie Gentry | Russell Elliot | BØRNS | Hozier | Enigma | Moby (featuring the Banks Brothers) | Cat Stevens | Chrissy Amphlett | Jon Stevens | Nada Surf | Tom Goss (featuring Matt Alber) | Autoheart | Scissor Sisters | Mavis Staples | Claude Chalhoub | Cass Elliot | Duffy | The Cruel Sea | Wall of Voodoo | Loretta Lynn and Jack White | Foo Fighters | 1927 | Kate Ceberano | Tee Set | Joan Baez | Wet, Wet, Wet | Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy | Fleetwood Mac | Jane Clifton | Australian Crawl | Pet Shop Boys | Marty Rhone | Josef Salvat | Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri | Aquilo | The Breeders | Tony Enos | Tupac Shakur | Nakhane Touré | Al Green | Donald Glover/Childish Gambino | Josh Garrels | Stromae | Damiyr Shuford | Vaudou Game | Yotha Yindi and The Treaty Project | Lil Nas X | Daby Touré | Sheku Kanneh-Mason | Susan Boyle | D’Angelo | Little Richard | Black Pumas | Mbemba Diebaté | Judie Tzuke | Seckou Keita | Rahsaan Patterson | Black | Ash Dargan | ABBA | The KLF and Tammy Wynette | Luke James and Samoht | Julee Cruise | Olivia Newton-John | Dyllón Burnside | Christine McVie | Rita Coolidge | Bettye LaVette | Burt Bacharach | Kimi Djabaté | Ahmad Jamal | Benjamin Booker | Tina Turner | Julie Covington | Midist/Wasim | Durrand Bernarr | Cold Play

A Powerhouse Performance of One of the First Gay Liberation Anthems

The Wild Reed’s 2024 Queer Appreciation series concludes with something special: Shirley Bassey’s 1989 live performance of “I Am What I Am.”

I share this video on the 41st anniversary of the Broadway premiere of La Cage aux Folles. The show would go on to run for 1,761 performances and garner six Tony Awards. It also broke barriers for gay representation by becoming the first hit Broadway musical centered on a gay relationship.

The musical’s act one finale, “I Am What I Am,” received praise as a “gay anthem” and has been widely recorded and performed by straight and gay singers alike, including Marti Webb, Sammy Davis Jr., Amanda Lear, John Barrowman, Sandra Mihanovich, and Gloria Gaynor, who turned it into a disco classic.

Shirley Bassey has also recorded the song; she’s performed it many times in concert as well. Her 1989 powerhouse performance on The Les Dawson Show is one of my favorites of her live renditions of this anthemic song of self-acceptance, truth-telling and liberation. Enjoy!





See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Unique . . . Yes, You!
• The Challenge to Become Ourselves
• Celebrating Our Sanctifying Truth
• The Power of Our Stories
• Getting It Right
• Real Holiness
• The Source is Within You
• Nakhane’s Hymn to Freedom
• Making the Connections . . . Then and Now
• Remembering Dusty Springfield’s “Daring” 1979 Gay-Affirming Song

For the previous posts in the 2024 Queer Appreciation series, see:
• “Let Us Be the Incarnation of Inclusion”
• Durrand Bernarr, “a Genre-Bending Talent”
• Kyle Kvamme, Advocate for LGBTQIA+ Refugees
• Remembering Paco Jamandreu, Evita’s Gay Friend and Confidant
• Christina Cauterucci on the Olympics Moment That Shows Where the Anti-Trans Movement Has Brought Us

For National Coming Out Day

Related Off-site Link:
From Invisibility to Celebration: The Importance of National Coming Out Day – Julie Kratz (Forbes, October 11, 2023).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Coming Out: An Act of Holiness
• Darren Hayes, Coming Out . . . Oh, and Time Travel
• Coming Out in Africa and the Middle East
• A Girl Named Sara: A “Person of the Resurrection”
• The Triumph of Love: An Easter Reflection
• It Shouldn’t Matter. Except It Does
• Ian McKellen’s Two Great Achievements: Playing Gandalf and Coming Out
• Lucy Jane Bledsoe: Quote of the Day – July 16, 2010
• The Raising of Lazarus and the Gay Experience of Coming Out
• Catherine Cavanagh: Quote of the Day – November 1, 2011
• Terrance Dean: Quote of the Day – July 7, 2012
• Something to Think About – September 6, 2013
• For National Coming Out Day 2013, Four Memorable Quotes
• David Whyte: “To Be Courageous is to Stay Close to the Way We Are Made”
• Making the Connections . . . Then and Now
• Nakhane’s Hymn to Freedom
• Soul Deep

To read about my own experience of coming out, see:
• In the Footsteps of Spring: Introduction
• Part 1 – The Light Within
• Part 2 – Shards of Summer
• Part 3 – Intimate Soliloquies
• Part 4 – Coming Out
• Part 5 – No Stranger Am I

Alex Liu: “Everyone Has Something in Their Life That They Need to Come Out About”

Chinese American independent filmmaker Alex Liu recently talked about his 2021 documemtary film A Sexplanation with the U.K.-based website Female First. The film, which explores issues concerning sexual stigma, shame, pleasure, and pride in the context of debates over comprehensive sex education, follows Liu as he travels the United States and Canada to interview researchers, therapists, educators, authors, political leaders, and activists, including those at the Kinsey Institute, Planned Parenthood, and San Francisco Sex Information.

Following is an excerpt from Female First’s insightful conversation with Liu.

___________________

After watching A Sexplanation, it was incredible to be the first in the U.K. to speak with Alex Liu about his personal life, his general career, and the upcoming documentary.

A Sexplanation is both a journey through and a celebration of sex, sexual identity, and everything in-between. Alex took the leap into the world of sex, not just for himself, but for those of us still unsure about taking that step. “People just wanna know how to make sex feel good and work for you”, says Alex.

We began the interview by asking Alex about his childhood which, by all accounts, was “pretty pleasant” as he had “very loving parents, very supportive”, which was great to hear from someone who, despite this support, considered suicide at a young age due to the shame that surrounded him in regard to his sexuality and sexual self-gratification.

“The one thing my family was not prepared for as I started getting older was my same-sex attraction . . . my queer identity”. Even some parents today struggle with knowing their child is anything but straight, while some are simply surprised and supportive.

This may come from a lack of knowledge about different sexualities, which, especially when Alex was younger, wasn’t a priority at all – and sadly, while it seems to be more talked about, still isn’t today.

“I had a lot of anger and confusion towards my parents, I blamed them a lot for not being there for me in a way... you think I had it bad? They had it so much worse . . . when it came to sex and sex education.”

Since no one could really help Alex with his feelings and his newfound sexuality, he turned to “destructive behaviours”, as well as having “depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation . . . it took us a long time as a family to figure out how to navigate forward.”

This is of course a sad story, but within A Sexplanation, Alex speaks with his parents about their experiences with sex education, and he realises that they didn’t have much in the way of sexual knowledge, and his grandmother even less so.

We then asked Alex to share with us what troubles him the most about sex education within the U.S now, as well as when he was growing up.

Now, it seems that it’s a “little better,” according to Alex, but there has also been a “lot of steps back in the past month.”

“But when I was growing up... the political and public health goal was how we prevent teen pregnancy, cause it was at all-time highs, and how do we prevent HIV . . . so the main message is just ‘don’t have sex’... the most moral thing you can do with these urges is to stop yourself.”

It seems that when Alex, and others his age, were ready to learn about what sex is, he was simply told (when he was younger) just to not have sex, and repress any sexual urges. Surely we all know, however, that this simply does not work.

Preaching abstinence in schools leads to young people still having sex, but with either a lack of information, or the wrong facts entirely. This leads to higher teen pregnancies, higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and other sexual blunders.

“Repression of strong desires or urges doesn’t make them go away” states Alex, “it just makes them come out in way more harmful ways.”

“People think a lot about how you minimise risks, but no one talks about how you maximise pleasure”, which is a very important part of sex that is seemingly not only ignored here in the UK, but in the U.S, too. “We got a lot of the shame . . . but none of the positives” Alex finishes.

. . . Moving onto the crux of the documentary itself, Alex stated that one of the reasons he was unsure if he wanted to tell his story, was that he was “scared it would be coated purely as a gay story, a queer story, ‘this is only for gay people, and really this was for everyone.” We couldn’t agree more, as A Sexplanation felt like an inclusive journey for everyone; gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, and everyone else – that’s what was so special about the documentary.

“Everyone has something in their life that they need to come out about”, says Alex, “it may not be a same-sex attraction, but it’s something, right?” Coming out doesn’t always need to relate to sexual identity, it can “be as simple as masturbation”, Alex continues to explain.

“There’s really seven billion sexualities when you think about it” said Alex when discussing how many of us can feel abnormal or out of place when it comes to our quirks or kinks; however, as Alex sees it (and we couldn’t agree more), the only thing we all have in common is that none of us are normal, which is in fact a beautiful thing.

Alex then asks us all a very important question: “Isn’t the world just more delicious if you can come out about it and have people know you and love you for who you are?” We definitely think so.

Alex then discusses the biggest misconception we have about sex education, where we seem to think it takes place from “12 to 18 . . . but really sex ed is something that should start from birth to death.”

How can sexual education last only a few years, when our bodies, minds, sexual preferences and desires are changing as we get older? Answer: it can’t.

. . . Sex, according to Alex, is “so core and essential to who we all are”, which is a beautiful way of putting it, and yet again, we agreed with Alex’s wonderful idea of what sex really is, and what it can be.

When asked about the MRI section of the documentary, Alex let out a nervous laugh, as it was quite the uncommon experience. He essentially masturbated in an MRI machine for scientists who are the first ever to study sex in this way.

“It was probably the least erotic sexual experience I’ve had in my life,” laughed Alex. “You’re stuck in an MRI machine . . . you have a camera crew and a research team barking orders at you. “There’s a lot of pressure to get it done in the time allotted . . . it was terrifying to have to masturbate on camera . . . but the process I think was really helpful for me to get over the shame I have for masturbation.”

. . . Our final question to Alex was what A Sexplanation taught him, to which he replied “getting over shame is a daily battle . . . the only cure is talking about it; the only way to get rid of the darkness is to shed light on it.”

To read Female First’s interview with Alex Liu in its entirety, click here.



Related Off-site Link:
New Documentary A Sexplanation Explores the Sorry State of American Sex Ed – Dan Loughry (Hornet, March 27, 2021).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Alan Cumming on “This Thing About Pleasure and Admitting to Desire”
• Unique . . . Yes, You!
• The Body: As Sacred and Knowing as a Temple Oracle
• To Be Held and to Hold
• A “Truly Queer Theory” on Sex
• Sex as Mystery, Sex as Light (Part 1)
• Sex as Mystery, Sex as Light (Part 2)
• Human Sex: Weird and Silly, Messy and Sublime
• Coming Out: An Act of Holiness
• Real Holiness
• Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality

Rahsaan Patterson

A new artist for “music night” this evening at The Wild Reed: Rahsaan Patterson.

You know, something I sometimes do to unwind is to stop at the Cheapo Discs store in Blaine on my home from work. I find in relaxing to just flip through the CD and LP racks, seeing what captures my attention. I’ve discovered that I have a pretty good knack at finding good though often obscure music, simply by trusting my feelings about a given album’s cover artwork and/or song titles. Yeah, I know, it totally goes against the old “You can’t judge a book by its cover” adage. But then, these aren’t books!

Anyway, it was at the Blaine Cheapo Discs that I discovered Rahsaan Patterson, along with a number of other artists over the last two years: Daby Touré, Habib Koité, Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Kimi Djabaté, Trey Lorenz, Jesse Powell, Femi Kuti, Glenn Lewis, Wasis Diop, Whycliffe, Lorenzo Smith, and Tashan.

Although often classified as an R&B singer, Rahsaan Patterson is actually much more diverse – delivering (and often mixing) neo-soul, hip-hop, and funk. His commercial successes, however, have been logged in the R&B/hip-hop charts.

Writes Gail Mitchell:

Patterson’s relationship with Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop charts began in 1997 with his self-titled debut album featuring the top 25 singles “Where You Are” and “Stop By.” Patterson, whose songwriting credits include Brandy’s platinum “Baby,” has placed 13 tracks on the R&B Songs chart, among them the top 10 “Treat You Like a Queen.” Trivia fans will recall that Patterson initially attracted national attention at the tender age of 10 when he began the first of four seasons playing “The Kid” on the 1980’s television show Kids Incorporated. Among his fellow co-stars: Fergie and Mario Lopez.

Rahsaan’s most recent album is 2019’s Heroes and Gods, but tonight at The Wild Reed I share a track from his 1999 album, Love in Stereo – “It’s Alright Now,” the lyrics of which very much resonate with me just now!

I used to be your love fool
Believing every lie you told
Running to you when you’d call
There to catch you when you’d fall

But then it became clear to me
You never really cared for me at all

It’s alright
I’m gonna make it on my own
Baby, it’s alright now
It’s alright
I’m gonna make it on my own
Baby, it’s alright
It’s alright, now

Lying eyes, deceiving smile
Hypnotized me every time
Until the day that I was awakened
To the fact that you were never mine, no

Your heart’s no more a mystery
I gave up on you loving me at all

It’s alright
I’m gonna make it on my own
Baby, it's alright now
It’s alright
I’m gonna make it on my own
Baby, it’s alright
It’s alright, now

Following is an excerpt from a 2012 article in which Rahsaan reflects on being gay in the world of R&B and hip-hop.

Rahsaan Patterson, the veteran R&B singer – who scored a top 50 Billboard album and strong radio airplay in 1997 with his self-titled debut – was one of the first African-American soul artists to come out officially as gay during a 2007 interview with BET.com.

Historically, African-American musicians have rarely been upfront about their sexuality. For every Sylvester (the flamboyant disco icon never tried to hide the fact that he was gay) there is a Luther Vandross (the legendary vocalist reportedly kept his homosexuality a secret until his 2005 death). And in the overtly masculine world of hip-hop, homosexuality is viewed as a death knell; the sort of news that can literally derail a career. On the flipside, white pop and rock acts like David Bowie, Elton John, and Melissa Etheridge have experienced a more positive acceptance after coming out. It’s a dichotomy that bothers Patterson.

“Look at that compared to white music artists or even white actors who come out,” he says. “When they come out [as gay] they are applauded, not that they don’t suffer a bit in terms of press and people who may have an issue with their sexuality. But ultimately, them stepping into who they really are propels them in positive ways. It opens up their lives. I think a lot of times we are all so insecure with our personal things as black folks that we deny ourselves that right to be who we are. We forget that when you stand within your true light the world opens up for you.”

Musicians previously spotlighted at The Wild Reed:
Dusty Springfield | David Bowie | Kate Bush | Maxwell | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Prince | Frank Ocean | Maria Callas | Loreena McKennitt | Rosanne Cash | Petula Clark | Wendy Matthews | Darren Hayes | Jenny Morris | Gil Scott-Heron | Shirley Bassey | Rufus Wainwright | Kiki Dee | Suede | Marianne Faithfull | Dionne Warwick | Seal | Sam Sparro | Wanda Jackson | Engelbert Humperdinck | Pink Floyd | Carl Anderson | The Church | Enrique Iglesias | Yvonne Elliman | Lenny Kravitz | Helen Reddy | Stephen Gately | Judith Durham | Nat King Cole | Emmylou Harris | Bobbie Gentry | Russell Elliot | BØRNS | Hozier | Enigma | Moby (featuring the Banks Brothers) | Cat Stevens | Chrissy Amphlett | Jon Stevens | Nada Surf | Tom Goss (featuring Matt Alber) | Autoheart | Scissor Sisters | Mavis Staples | Claude Chalhoub | Cass Elliot | Duffy | The Cruel Sea | Wall of Voodoo | Loretta Lynn and Jack White | Foo Fighters | 1927 | Kate Ceberano | Tee Set | Joan Baez | Wet, Wet, Wet | Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy | Fleetwood Mac | Jane Clifton | Australian Crawl | Pet Shop Boys | Marty Rhone | Josef Salvat | Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri | Aquilo | The Breeders | Tony Enos | Tupac Shakur | Nakhane Touré | Al Green | Donald Glover/Childish Gambino | Josh Garrels | Stromae | Damiyr Shuford | Vaudou Game | Yotha Yindi and The Treaty Project | Lil Nas X | Daby Touré | Sheku Kanneh-Mason | Susan Boyle | D’Angelo | Little Richard | Black Pumas | Mbemba Diebaté | Judie Tzuke | Black | Seckou Keita

In a Historic First, Country Music's Latest Star Is a Queer Black Man

Yes, I know that the "Pride month" of June is over, but The Wild Reed's Queer Appreciation series continues with news of a history-making first.

I'll let Milverton Saint explain . . .

Lil Nas X is a queer Black man who has spent 12 weeks in the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with a country song. That's three solid months in the top spot.

“Old Town Road” was also the number one song in Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK. It has also been certified Platinum in France, the UK, and Italy; double Platinum in New Zealand; triple Platinum in the United States; and five times Platinum in Australia.

A queer dark-skinned Black man held the number one spot in 14 countries, went platinum in six countries, and was at the top of the US Hot 100 chart for the entirety of Queer Pride month.

This is history.

Indeed!

Following are the two official videos for “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, a song that features Billy Ray Cyrus. They're followed (with added images and links) by a recent piece from The Huffington Post in which the rapper talks about the “backlash” his coming out has stirred within some circles.

Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road
I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more
I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road
I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more . . .

________________________

Lil Nas X: “I’m Already Getting Backlash for Coming Out as Gay”

By Curtis Wong

The Huffington Post
July 5, 2019

The “Old Town Road” rapper told the BBC that he’s focused on “opening the doors” for greater LGBTQ representation in country and hip-hop music.

Lil Nas X surprised fans last weekend when he opened up about his sexuality for the first time publicly in a series of tweets. Though the rapper’s announcement quickly lit up social media, he says not all of the response has been positive.

The “Old Town Road” star last Sunday urged his Twitter followers to “listen closely” to his song “C7osure” before the end of LGBTQ Pride Month. In a subsequent tweet, he posted the cover art of his EP “7,” which features a rainbow-colored building.

“Deadass thought I made it obvious,” he wrote.

True say
I want and I need
To let go
Use my time to be free
It's like it's always what you like
It's always what you like
Why it's always what you like?
It's always what you like, huh
Ain't no more actin', man that forecast say I should just let me grow
No more red light for me, baby, only green, I gotta go
Pack my past up in the back, oh, let my future take a hold
This is what I gotta do, can't be regretting when I'm old

Brand new places I'll choose and I'll go, I know
Embracing this news I behold unfolding
I know, I know, I know it don't feel like it's time
But I look back at this moment, I'll see that I'm fine
I know, I know, I know it don't feel like it's time
I set boundaries for myself, it's time to cross the line . . .

– Lil Nas X

“c7osure”

Fresh off his performance with Miley Cyrus at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival, Lil Nas X confirmed to the BBC on Friday that any fan confusion the tweets may have created was unintentional, and that he meant them to be read as a public statement “that I’m gay.”

“It’s something I was considering never doing, ever,” he said in the interview. “Taking [it] to the grave. But I don’t want to live my entire life – especially how I got to where I’m at – not doing what I want to do.”

As for whether he’d received any backlash in the wake of his announcement, he added, “Oh, I’m already getting it.”

The 20-year-old Georgia native, however, is taking any criticism in stride, because he “used to be that person being negative.”

“Old Town Road,” which features Billy Ray Cyrus, continues to be a massive hit among both country and hip-hop audiences. Given his crossover success, Lil Nas X told the BBC he’s primarily focused on serving as a role model for artists in both of those genres, where identifying as LGBTQ is still “not really accepted.”

“I feel like [I’m] opening the doors for more people,” he said.

Watch a clip of Lil Nas X’s BBC interview below.

– Curtis M. Wong
The Huffington Post
July 5, 2019

NEXT: Historian Martin Duberman on the
Rightward Shift of the Gay Movement

Related Off-site Links:
‘Old Town Road’– How the TikTok-propelled Country-trap Banger Sparked Debate About Genre, Race and Exclusion – Julia Czub (NME, May 1, 2019).
Lil Nas X Drives Taylor Swift Off the Road to No. 1 Again – Cole Delbyck (The Huffington Post, June 25, 2019).
Lil Nas X Fans Celebrate After He Appears To Come Out In Cryptic Pride Tweets – Dominique Mosbergen (The Huffington Post, July 1, 2019).
Lil Nas X Discusses Coming Out as Gay in New Interview – Rob Arcand (Spin, July 5, 2019).
Lil Nas Opened Up About His Decision to Come Out as Gay – And How He's Dealing With Haters – David Mack (BuzzFeed, July 5, 2019).
“It’s Literally About Horses” – Lil Nas X Responds to Fans Claiming “Old Town Road” Is About Gay Sex – Patrick Clarke (NME, July 1, 2019).


UPDATES: Lil’ Nas X’s “Old Town Road” Is the Most Successful #1 Rap Song of All-Time; Remains #1 After Singer Comes Out As Gay – Waddie G (The G-Listed, July 8, 2019).
America Needed a Gay, Black Man to Top Its Country Charts. Protect Lil Nas X at All Costs – Quintez Brown (Louisville Courier Journal, July 9, 2019).


For previous installments in The Wild Reed's 2019 Queer Appreciation series, see:
• Quote of the Day – May 31, 2019
• James Baldwin's Potent Interweavings of Race, Homoeroticism, and the Spiritual
• John Gehring on Why Catholics Should Participate in LGBTQ Pride Parades
• A Dance of Queer Love
• The Queer Liberation March: Bringing Back the Spirit of Stonewall
• Barbara Smith on Why She Left the Mainstream LGBTQI Movement
• Remembering the Stonewall Uprising on Its 50th Anniversary


Previously featured musicians at The Wild Reed:
Dusty Springfield | David Bowie | Kate Bush | Maxwell | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Prince | Frank Ocean | Maria Callas | Loreena McKennitt | Rosanne Cash | Petula Clark | Wendy Matthews | Darren Hayes | Jenny Morris | Gil Scott-Heron | Shirley Bassey | Rufus Wainwright | Kiki Dee | Suede | Marianne Faithfull | Dionne Warwick | Seal | Sam Sparro | Wanda Jackson | Engelbert Humperdinck | Pink Floyd | Carl Anderson | The Church | Enrique Iglesias | Yvonne Elliman | Lenny Kravitz | Helen Reddy | Stephen Gately | Judith Durham | Nat King Cole | Emmylou Harris | Bobbie Gentry | Russell Elliot | BØRNS | Hozier | Enigma | Moby (featuring the Banks Brothers) | Cat Stevens | Chrissy Amphlett | Jon Stevens | Nada Surf | Tom Goss (featuring Matt Alber) | Autoheart | Scissor Sisters | Mavis Staples | Claude Chalhoub | Cass Elliot | Duffy | The Cruel Sea | Wall of Voodoo | Loretta Lynn and Jack White | Foo Fighters | 1927 | Kate Ceberano | Tee Set | Joan Baez | Wet, Wet, Wet | Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy | Fleetwood Mac | Jane Clifton | Australian Crawl | Pet Shop Boys | Marty Rhone | Josef Salvat | Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri | Aquilo | The Breeders | Tony Enos | Tupac Shakur | Nakhane Touré | Al Green | Donald Glover/Childish Gambino | Josh Garrels | Stromae | Damiyr Shuford | Vaudou Game | Yotha Yindi and The Treaty Project

Nakhane's Hymn to Freedom

For “music night” this evening at The Wild Reed I share the video for South African singer-songwriter Nakhane’s new song, “New Brighton.” (You may recall that I spotlighted Nakhane and his “tortured journey to clarity,” around this time last year.)

“New Brighton” is very much a hymn to freedom, an ode to that “strange joy” of being in the world with open eyes, true to one’s self and one’s journey. It’s a theme that has become a hallmark of Nakhane’s music.

Following is how The Huffington Post's Curtis M. Wong describes the latest from Nakhane.

Boundary-smashing pop artist Nakhane draws on his inner struggles coming to terms with his authentic self in a haunting new video.

“New Brighton,” which dropped [last] Friday, sees Nakhane striking a number of dramatic poses in a pale pink suit and striking blue eyeshadow while strolling on a windswept beach and in the corridors of an abandoned mansion. As the song climaxes, he pledges to “never live in fear again.”

Featuring Anohni on backing vocals, “New Brighton” serves as a powerful introduction to Nakhane – already a household name in his native South Africa – for American audiences. The track is a standout on his debut album, You Will Not Die, due out February 22.

With just over a month to go before its stateside release, You Will Not Die is already riding a wave of advance buzz among music critics and fellow artists. The New York Times named Nakhane one of “10 artists to watch in 2019,” and British Vogue felt similarly, describing him as one of pop’s most influential new stars.

. . . If You Will Not Die succeeds in the U.S., Nakhane could have an impact on pop music well beyond critical raves. . . . Last year he starred as a closeted gay man in The Wound [right], a film that depicted a secret rite of passage into manhood observed by South Africa’s Xhosa people that includes circumcision. As a singer-songwriter, he has never shied away from exploring his queer identity through his music and performances, which is still unusual in mainstream pop.

“Some people say: ‘Aren’t you tired of always having to talk about the fact that you’re a gay artist?’ and I’m like, ‘You have no fucking idea how tired I am of it.’ But for as long as I need to, I’m going to talk about it,” he told The Guardian last year. “For as long as it needs to be said, then it needs to be said. For as long as there’s some kid out there who can’t be themselves, he’ll need someone.”

– Curtis M. Wong
Excerpted from “With ‘New Brighton,’
Nakhane Is Poised to Be a Queer Pop Icon for 2019”
HuffPost Queer Voices
January 18, 2019

You Will Not Die was first released in South Africa, Europe, and elsewhere last March. I bought it as an import through Amazon.com. It’s become one of my favorite albums, with “Interloper” and “Presbyteria” being stand-out tracks for me. Interestingly, it doesn’t contain “New Brighton,” which is an addition to the U.S.-version of the album, one that is being marketed as “the deluxe version.”

Also, You Will Not Die is Nakhane’s debut album only in certain parts of the world, including the U.S. As I note in my previous post on the singer, 2014’s Brave Confusion is Nakhane's first album, one that was released in South Africa under his full name, Nakhane Touré. The album, noted music critic Graham Gremore, couldn’t be more appropriately titled. “Here is a black Christian male singing love songs about other men in an environment that hasn’t exactly been welcoming towards gay people, wrote Gremore in Queerty. Upon its release in 2014, Brave Confusion caused such a stir that it ensured Nakhane made the cover of the South African Rolling Stone.

Anyway, without further ado, here's Nakhane's latest offering, “New Brighton.” Enjoy!

I slipped on the pebbles on the way to the gate
Held my balance on the cuff of your shirt
You were upset
We were going to the Port Elizabeth port
Up from the hill on due point was fragile to fault
I was upset:

Never live in fear again
No, never again
And all the seraphim
And all the cherubim

Never knew them before, don’t know them now
What about my mother and her sisters?
Where was their name
I rose up, sing:

Never live in fear again
No, never again
Never, never, never again
Never, never again
Never live in fear again
No never again
And all the seraphim
And all the cherubim

Open the blank New Brighton sky
Worlds suffering
Birds with strangled cries
And a strange joy in their head
So go with open eyes

Related Off-site Links:
For Openly Gay Actor-Singer Nakhane, Defiance Is Key to Survival – Serena Chaudhry (Reuters via The Huffington Post, April 30, 2018).
Nakhane Touré Fends Off Hate Speech Over Controversial New Film – Carl Collison (Mail and Guardian, March 1, 2017).
South Africa Musician Nakhane Touré Tackles Gay Themes – BBC News, (April 4, 2016).
Nakhane Touré: Dreaming the Black Man’s Blues – Kwanele Sosibo (Mail and Guardian, September 4, 2015).
Nakhane Touré: Working Bravely with Words – Between Ten and Five (June 23, 2015).
What’s Eating Nakhane Touré? – Charl Blignaut (City Press, April 28 2014).
Bravely, Confusingly, Nakhane Touré – Lloyd Gedye (The Con, September 25, 2013).
Nakhane’s Brave Confusion – Expresso (November 1, 2013).

Previously featured musicians at The Wild Reed:
Dusty Springfield | David Bowie | Kate Bush | Maxwell | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Prince | Frank Ocean | Maria Callas | Loreena McKennitt | Rosanne Cash | Petula Clark | Wendy Matthews | Darren Hayes | Jenny Morris | Gil Scott-Heron | Shirley Bassey | Rufus Wainwright | Kiki Dee | Suede | Marianne Faithfull | Dionne Warwick | Seal | Sam Sparro | Wanda Jackson | Engelbert Humperdinck | Pink Floyd | Carl Anderson | The Church | Enrique Iglesias | Yvonne Elliman | Lenny Kravitz | Helen Reddy | Stephen Gately | Judith Durham | Nat King Cole | Emmylou Harris | Bobbie Gentry | Russell Elliot | BØRNS | Hozier | Enigma | Moby (featuring the Banks Brothers) | Cat Stevens | Chrissy Amphlett | Jon Stevens | Nada Surf | Tom Goss (featuring Matt Alber) | Autoheart | Scissor Sisters | Mavis Staples | Claude Chalhoub | Cass Elliot | Duffy | The Cruel Sea | Wall of Voodoo | Loretta Lynn and Jack White | Foo Fighters | 1927 | Kate Ceberano | Tee Set | Joan Baez | Wet, Wet, Wet | Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy | Fleetwood Mac | Jane Clifton | Australian Crawl | Pet Shop Boys | Marty Rhone | Josef Salvat | Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri | Aquilo | The Breeders | Tony Enos | Tupac Shakur | Nakhane Touré | Al Green | Donald Glover/Childish Gambino | Josh Garrels | Stromae | Damiyr Shuford