Let’s Talk About Sex: Why Do LGBTQ+ Artists Face Double-Standards?

From subtle references to explicit lyrics, society expects and accepts musical artists to talk about sex — that is, unless the artists are queer.

In the series Let’s Talk About Sex, writers talk about sex. And music.

Written by Aidan Comiskey

Sex is prevalent in modern music — so prevalent, in fact, that sexual themes showed up in the lyrics of 92 percent of 2009 Billboard Top 10 songs. Sex has become a facet of modern music, an accepted part of musical culture — but not for all artists. While society may tolerate the Beatles or Madonna singing about sex, queer musicians aren’t given the same liberty.

From Freddie Mercury and Elton John to King Princess and Kevin Abstract, LGBTQ+ artists have been releasing songs expressing their identities for decades. Seeing as sex is one of the most common themes in modern music, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect queer musicians to write songs to explore their sexualities, —but society doesn’t afford them this sort of expression, instead criticizing discussions of queerness in music.

This double standard is perhaps best seen in the interactions between Kevin Abstract, a gay hip-hop artist and member of BROCKHAMPTON, and his fans. Abstract has been at the receiving end of negative comments from supposed fans criticizing how frequently he uses his art to represent his queerness.

He’s spoken out against this backlash, pointing out how he’s criticized for his relatively-mild discussions of sex while straight artists’ explicit lyrics fly under the radar.. He’s also tweeted about it (and pretty iconically at that). It’s even become a part of the way he talks about sexuality in his music, with lyrics like “Why you always rap about bein’ gay? / ‘Cause not enough n----s rap andbe gay,” in BROCKHAMPTON’s 2017 song “JUNKY.”

American Boyfriend album art. Image courtesy of Brockhampton Records — *American Boyfriend* album art. Image courtesy of Brockhampton Records

Some genres within music certainly seem to be more willing to accept songs about queerness as evidenced by the warm reception to recent pop releases Bloom by gay artist Troye Sivan and “Pussy Is God” by genderqueer and gay artist King Princess. But as we’ve seen, artists from other genres haven’t had as much luck.

In addition to Kevin Abstract, country musician Ty Herndon faced homophobia within his musical sphere, risking his career by coming out. So while pop music seems more accepting (perhaps the result of its desire to appeal to wide swaths of society), other genres are lagging behind.

However, things are getting better. Although some genres have yet to catch up to the inclusivity of pop, the gap is closing. LGBTQ+ artist Frank Ocean has found continued success with his radio show blonded RADIO. Led by Abstract, BROCKHAMPTON has climbed to new heights with its massive following and the Billboard 200 No. 1 debut of their recent album iridescence. Abstract himself has had individual success with his very gay album American Boyfriend. And, looking back to country music, gay artist Brandon Stansell has emerged as one of the genre’s up-and-coming stars.

That’s not to say society doesn’t have progress to make: homophobia still rears its ugly head wherever it can, whether from our lawmakers in Washington or bigoted “fans” on Twitter. But societal change isn’t something that happens on its own. Change can only happen through individual action.

So next time you find yourself questioning how an artist expresses their identity through music, turn that question back on yourself and ask “Why does it concern me?” By definition, identity is something that belongs to one person and one person alone. If you really consider yourself to be a fan, support your artist’s commitment to expressing who they are.

After all, that’s what music is about.