Search for acceptance: Songs about a welcoming promised land where the dream of acceptance and belonging and hope lives.Celebrating unashamed sexuality: The theme is of transcending cultural shame to celebrate one's sexual nature.' The Greatest Love of All' as sung by Whitney Houston. Hard-won self-esteem: The theme involves fighting through oppression, darkness, or fear to gain freedom, beauty, or self-esteem.Throw your cares away: A carefree narrative about putting your troubles aside and partying.You are not alone: Songs about coming together as a community or reassurance to the lonely that there are others like them out there.Overcoming hardship in love: Usually a narrative of a wronged lover who comes back stronger than before.Big-voiced divas: Rather than particular to the songs, this area of gay anthems is more akin to a cult of personality of a large gay male following for some particular diva-style pop music vocalists who are almost always black, female gay icons.In the 2002 book Queer, the following ten main themes were listed that are common among many, if not all gay anthems:
Melanie Brown was shown kissing another woman in her ' For Once in My Life' video, making this song a hymn of the gay community.Īlthough every song is individual, the criteria for what makes a gay anthem has shown a trend among the years.
