Sweat is a great equaliser. On a dancefloor, everyone has the chance to feel free. That’s one reason why discos and nightclubs have often been safe havens for the LGBTQ+ community. These songs were mostly dance hits when they were released, but their message of love and acceptance has meant they endure not just in the club, but in the streets.
You make me feel (Mighty Real) by Sylvester
No disco star had a voice more heavenly than Sylvester’s. The androgynous diva moved to San Francisco in 1970 at the age of 22, joining the avant-garde drag troupe the Cockettes before moving on to a solo career. You make me feel (Mighty Real) turns slang from New York’s Black and Latino ballroom scene into an indelible dance track. The love of which Sylvester sings transcends gender and sexuality.
Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat
This breakout single launched British synth-pop act Bronski Beat into the charts when it was released in 1984. The lyrics tell the story of a young, closeted man who leaves his parents for gay, big city life. “The love that you need will never be found at home,” Jimmy Somerville croons in a heartbreaking, otherworldly falsetto. Smalltown Boy appeared on The Age of Consent, an album conceived in protest against the higher age of consent for homosexual acts (21). The band remained politically outspoken throughout their career.
A quién le importa by Alaska y Dinarama
This thumping electro-pop ballad is arguably the greatest Spanish-language coming out song of all time – as well as the multi-platinum pop group’s biggest hit. “Who cares what I do, who cares what I say?” Alaska snarls in the chorus. “This is who I am, and who I’ll always be.” The song appeared on the 1986 album No Es Pecado (It’s Not a Sin), broadcasting a message of resilience to the band’s gay fans as the Aids epidemic raged on.
Born This Way by Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga ushered in the 2010s – a decade in which gay marriage was legalised in 21 countries – with this club banger about self-acceptance. It remains a fixture at Pride marches and parties. “Don’t hide yourself in regret / Just love yourself and you’re set,” she sings. Gaga took inspiration from a 1977 Motown record by Carl Bean, a singer and openly gay pastor who later founded the Minority AIDS Project, which supports people living with HIV across Los Angeles.
It’s Okay to Cry by Sophie
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British electronic musician Sophie, a hyperpop pioneer who has worked with the likes of Charli XCX and Madonna, came out as transgender with the opening track of her 2018 album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. “I accept you,” she sings to soaring synths, urging the listener to “see the truth through all the lies” and “know you’ve got nothing to hide”. The song took on new meaning after the artist’s tragic death in 2021 – but its compassionate message remains as important as ever.
Illustration by Charlotte Durance for The Observer