Somewhere over the rainbow

On the occasion of LGBT history month, I thought to share this blog post, which I've been composing on and off throughout this month. I present it with the newest and fullest current acronym. 

Despite being an ally, and considering myself NB (Non-Binary), I'm not the most knowledgeable person, and since time is running out, I won't be able to discuss all the includes letters/ types of LGBT persons, so if I concentrate on a topic or two, it's not out of disrespect, but not finding other kinds of songs.


Homosexuality is often a taboo subject, especially where societal norms rely on cisgender norms and religious dogma. 
Bi's are often misunderstood, and as for the rest, they probably confuse cisgender normative and prejudiced people the most. 

Throughout the years, though, people came out ; artists of all kinds spoke up, sometimes at the cost of their lives. Others were more fortunate to hit a chord and helped bring societal changes, or happened to talk/write/sing about this topic in better conditions.

To finish LGBT history month of 2018, I thought to share some songs about free love, free from discrimination, and anything else that helps discuss and break down cisgender norms. 

There are many LGBT icons, both from within the community and allies who sing about LGBT topics, and therefore,  I cannot be exhaustive, especially that some songs are cryptic, and some online lists give songs which turn out not to be fully about this topic (as I research to know for sure).


I'll start with two bands, that a friend had introduced me into, back in the 1990's : Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys.

Out of their long careers, each produced countless songs, so here are a few :

Erasure 

Hideaway ( most definitely about coming out to one's family) (1987 Circus. )
A little respect (read about song 23) ; Chains of love  (1988 Innocents.)

Pet Shop Boys 

It's a sin (evidently about the guilt imposed on homosexuals by religion), (1987, Actually). 
The night I fell in love (describing very specific case of homophobia) (2000, Release).
In Denial (obvious) (1999, Nightlife)

I've never been a fun of Christina Aguilera's songs, as I've heard only a few. I found out that her Beautiful (2000, Stripped) is about how each person is beautiful through differences, and viewing the clip, it has a at least an LGBT message, and also against bullying of those of us who are different. 

You can find many English song lists online, so I'll move to French ones.

Mylène Farmer's maman a tort includes lyrics to the effect of a woman who loves contrary to what her mom tells her is ok, and more than strongly implies severe beatings she receives for it, by her ; and that this narrator falls in love with her nurse, who also feels things. (1984, Cendres de Lune). 

Ysa Ferrer - To bi or not to bi is lyrics in this video  and rather evident. I'll let you translate these, but overall there are lyrics to "let me live my life". 

Najoua Belyzel's Gabriel asks a man if he is for herself, or for an unnamed "he", and that she's waiting for his answer. 

Daniel Lavoie's Ils s'aiment asks that people let men love one another. I hope this translation's legal. 

More french songs listed for ex on wiki. 

Moving on to Israel, where society is still quite ruled by religious dogma, but where social change does exist. 

Ethnix Ft. Eden Ben Zaken - Mexicana doesn't have overtly LGBT lyrics, which focuses on romantic interests between couples instead of locking them into gender or age. Thus, the video is rather daring for Israeli society. It depicts 13 couples, 2 of them are gay men - 1 couple hugging in the street, another sharing coffee in bed - first sitting, and then dropping into it. 
Age varies greatly, activities aren't sexualized, though one can follow the visual suggestions. 
In some of the couples, people kiss one another, and the only lacking additional aspects would be to include lesbians, and bi-couples, and have some of them also kiss, but it seems society there isn't ready just yet.

By composing this entry, I learned that Ethnix' singer, Zeev Nechama, came out as bi only a few years ago. 

There is no clip for Yehuda Poliker's My Brother but lyrics are fully inclusive, announcing that love is only one, and that it has no boundaries - it has no color, no gender, and no religion ; it is the freedom of choice ; it is a road without a choice* ; Love has no fear, nor shame, weather it's a man or a woman. 
* The road without a choice is an answer against those who claim that homosexuality or bisexuality aren't natural in a biological sense, and that one can just choose to be hetero instead. 

I'll remain with Poliker. His song Gingi (redhead) is a metaphor, whereas the visible freckles of a redhead are like those clear signs that a gay man is gay - as a wonder of how others can miss these signs. The entire song pertains to this very subject, and a few other songs in this album.

His Names ba'geshem (melting in the rain) is about a guy who wonders rainy streets, after he came out to his parents and they refused to talk about it, because it was "too political" 

Years before Poliker came out, one of the most prominent figures in LGBT community in Israel is singer Ivri Lider. His song tamid ahava (always love) discusses how most people who see him with a woman think they are a couple. The video clip puts a distance with this woman, by putting her face in a screen, observing him in a waiting room. Around him, a man is slumped on a couch, another shows up on the screen (as society would also want to put distance between men, instead of letting them love one another), and two women are seen flirting on the corner. 

From Korin Allal's 3-decade long career, I always loved the song Zan Nadir (a rare species). Upon reading that she's a lesbian, I wonder if the lyrics of rarity, and alternating between fear, shame and hiding ourselves, isn't an LGBT commentary, transposed as a whole species. 

Let's finish with the titular song, Somewhere over the rainbow, which became an anthem. 

Original (to my knowledge) is Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz & now Erasure's live version.