As we continue to celebrate the ruling SCOTUS made yesterday in deeming Prop 8 unconstitutional – I want to look back into the past, 1984 to be exact. I was in High School and was living a life as a closeted teenager. I didn’t know where to go for support – I knew how my friends and family felt about homosexuals (especially males) and wasn’t about to ‘come out’ to any of them. The only release I managed to receive was in pop music.
There were a lot of ambiguous music groups and artists that were just reaching peak stardom levels, groups such as; Duran Duran, The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, New Order, Yaz, etc….What I really connected with were bands that had openly/known gay singers and band mates like; Culture Club, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and especially Bronski Beat. (I learned of Andy Bell of Erasure a few years later).
Music transcended the closet for me and I guess, for many others. These bands had massive hit records and albums during that time. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t come out especially when Bronski Beat had a hit on the charts about a young boy’s struggle and coming out with his homosexuality. The song was called “Smalltown Boy”. This song resonated with me – it was about me, it was my story and it was on the radio everywhere. The irony is that the song didn’t give me the courage to come out and live my authentic life – for me, it reinforced why I should stay closeted. I didn’t want to be bullied, I didn’t want to lose my friends and most of all – I didn’t want to be ostracized by my family. What that song did was allow me to begin the dialogue with myself in accepting who I was because it was confirmation that there were many others out there like me.
I think the LGBTQ community should acknowledge the importance of pop music and artists such as Divine, Sylvester, Culture Club, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Madonna, Elton John, Erasure and Bronski Beat – some for being openly gay and not apologizing for it and some for embracing the community without fear of what could happen to their careers. These artists, through their music and videos, have provided an escape of a harsh reality that so many today (and yesterday) couldn’t live through. So thank you and Happy Pride.
Here are the lyrics to “Smalltown Boy” :
You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face
Mother will never understand
Why you had to leave
But the answers you seek
Will never be found at home
The love that you need
Will never be found at home
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
That they’d talk about around town
As they put you down
And as hard as they would try
They’d hurt to make you cry
But you never cried to them
Just to your soul
No, you never cried to them
Just to your soul
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Cry, boy, cry…
You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away
Here is the video that gave me inspiration to begin to live my true and authentic self….enjoy!
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 