30 LGBTQ Anthems to Blast While Celebrating Pride

Lady Gaga has always been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ equality and this 2011 song made that abundantly clear with lines like "a different lover is not a sin." By releasing this single, Mother Monster helped a generation of young queer kids learn that being different is something to be proud of. To further the message of the song, Gaga's Born This Way Foundation was established to "support the wellness of young people, and empower them to create a kinder and braver world."

Many of Betty Who's hits pay respect to the LGBTQ community, but her 2018 re-recording of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy series theme song is one of her best gifts. The lyrics refer to a person in your life who can brighten up any day. It's impossible not to listen to this song and smile (or get up and dance).

Alt-pop singer Lowell's 2014 Pride track directly targets bigotry with a chorus that repeats, "Don't hate on love." It's not quite as danceable as some of the other songs on this list, yet it still deserves the acknowledgment.

As if this one even requires an explanation. Ross sings all about being your authentic self with lyrics like, "There's a new me coming out/And I just had to live." There are few songs quite as fitting for the queer community than this 1979 anthem, and you really can't do a pride playlist without it.                                                                                        

Brendan Urie proclaims, "girls love girls and boys and love is not a choice" in this 2013 hit celebrating bisexuality and polyamory.  Urie himself came out as polyamorous in a 2018 interview with Paper magazine. 

LGBTQ performers have finally hit the mainstream in the music industry. Kiyoko has dropped a few singles that are unapologetically queer and undeniably catchy, including this 2015 hit where she proclaims, "Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new."

This 2018 song from Kylie's Golden album hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. With lyrics like, "no more hiding in the shadows" and "we all want the same, yeah, we're looking for that hand to hold," it should be a staple for every DJ working at a gay bar.

In honor of Pride Month, Sufjan Stevens released two tracks for the queer community in 2019. "Love Yourself" won't have anybody running to the dance floor, but sometimes we could all use a song that makes us stop and reflect.

Miley teamed up with her godmother, Dolly Parton, in 2017 to create this song about living in a place where everyone is free to be who they are. Both women are beloved by their LGBTQ fanbase and this song feels like a love letter back to them with lines like, "We are rainbows, me and you/every color, every hue...Let's shine on through."

The Greatest Showman may have taken some creative liberties in the retelling of P.T. Barnum's story, but the music from the 2017 film is top-notch. When Keala Settle's bearded lady character belts out, "I am brave, I am bruised/I am who I'm meant to be," anybody who has ever felt like a misfit or an outcast can feel her pain. 

There's a handful of more popular songs by Madge that could've made this list (hello, "Vogue"), but "I Rise" was specifically written and recorded to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and to inspire marginalized people to stand up and fight. Madonna has been a vocal supporter of the gay community throughout her career and having an ally like her has made a huge impact.

This is kind of like the rock version of "I'm Coming Out." Freddie Mercury brings his signature vocals to this 1984 track about trying to resist falling in love with someone. Lyrics aside, the music video for the song also featured Mercury and his bandmates in drag, which adds a whole new layer to the song.

Aguilera's 2002 ballad about loving your imperfections is a message anyone can relate to, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. It holds a special place for the LGBTQ community because so many people are made to believe that their queerness isn't something to celebrate or be proud of.

Lauper is another artist who has used her platform to support the community. "True Colors" started as a song (in 1986) about loving someone for exactly who they are through lyrics like, "I see your true colors and that's why I love you." It's become something much more impactful via the True Colors United initiative, which supports LGBTQ homeless youth.

The late, great George Michael released this protest song about not forcing your beliefs onto other people in (you guessed it) 1990. Lyrics like "I don't belong to you and you don't belong to me" still serve as a reminder to anyone who thinks they have a right to tell other people how to live their life.

Long before Katy Perry was on the scene, Jill Sobule released this folk track in 1995 about exploring same-sex attraction. Perry's track may have charted higher, but Sobule's version deserves our attention, too. Her song "Supermodel" from the Clueless soundtrack might also be worthy of a slot on your list.

Furman is all about breaking gender norms. He told the Telegraph in 2018, "Now that I know more about it, I don't think gender-fluidity is the right term. But I called myself that once and it is the whole tag now. I think it is a discrete…identity that involves being sometimes male, sometimes female, and sometimes neither," he said. "But I am just a male. I don't... I'm not trans[sexual] because that would mean I'm not male. I guess I just do being a man different than some." This 2015 song sends a message about taking ownership of your own body and identity, and not letting anybody else interfere with that.

Bowie was all about androgyny and celebrating queerness. From the opening guitar notes, "Rebel Rebel" is a song that inspires people not to be afraid of a little self-expression—even when authoritative figures in your life try to keep you down.

Arcade Fire recruited Andrew Garfield for the powerful video of this 2013 track to make one thing clear: rejecting or turning your back on people who are different doesn't erase them. Lines like, "daddy, it's true, I'm different from you, but tell me why they treat me like this?" will remind you that the fight for LGBTQ equality continues. 

Billy Joe Armstrong is a far cry from the pop divas that have lovingly been embraced by so many queer fans, but this song from their 1997 album Nimrod is a pop-punk Pride song about a man who likes to dress in women's clothing. The line, "king for a day, princess by dawn/Just wait 'til all the guys get a load of me" is repeated in the chorus and acts as a battle cry for acceptance.