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Queerness in music, however, has long stood at the epicenter.
But post-internet, what was once subversive has been reappraised as trendy, with otherness co-opted for everyone.
Queerness has become a marketing tool.
(Although pandering to the gays, particularly when the artists themselves arent queer, rarely goes smoothly.
Each has had different experiences, but all share the same sentiment: Its complicated but getting better.
My manager definitely knew.
It wasnt something I told him immediately.
Six months or so into our working relationship, I told him.
The label were aware.
I wonder if that was a conscious choice.
Not that I feel like Im especially queer.
Im a quite boring level of queer.
But I was open.
My first video was pretty gay.
I think it would have been quite difficult to keep it secret.
The first interviewer who asked me directly if I was gay took me by surprise.
Its a really weird question to ask someone you dont know out of the blue.
I think when you say youre queer, it becomes about the sex that you have.
We put posters in the gay village in Manchester, in cities where there is a queer scene.
That would be as far as it went.
That never happened on my first record because I didnt use gender pronouns.
It makes me laugh, its hilarious.
I dont find it personally upsetting, but it also doesnt directly affect me.
I grew up in Acton, Manchester, and Shepherds Bush.
I am a bit conflicted on the commodification of queerness.
My views change almost with the wind.
Sometimes theres an obsession with otherness.
OKAY, THEYRE GAY!
Lets talk about how gay they are!
I crave that kind of incidental queerness.
I crave it not being a talking point.
My beauty wasnt the stereotypical beauty.
Still, to this day, theres not really a conversation about my sexuality.
Its more like, What song is next?
What video is next?
They treat me like an artist, like Ive always wanted to be.
Its basically like telling people youre not black.
How could I get away with that?
It was always secondary until it wasnt.
Then when it wasnt, things started to be put under a microscope.
It was never a conversation in the beginning.
It became a conversation mostly with management, not so much with labels.
It was about managing how camp I could be.
They never said I was too gay, but they said it in more words.
It wasnt condescending or about me hurting the brand; it was more about ways to protect the brand.
Thats not something I care about.
Thats the annoying thing about queer representation in mass media.
Were not allowed to be multidimensional or exist like every other artist can.
We cant be something more than just a queer artist.
Those are historically very queer genres.
I didnt realize that box would be put around me.
I was young and unaware.
Now I just want to be the well-rounded multidimensional queer artist that I continue to be.
Thats so much bigger to me than commercial or monetary success.
I know because Ive been through it.
My other queer counterparts are battling with that every day.
Do whats true to you.
The thing about being a part of any marginalized group is that were fucking resourceful.
That was one of the first labels where being queer was fine.
It wasnt a thing that needed to be explained.
Polyvinyl has been an incredibly progressive label as well.
But I dont think Ive ever talked about it to anyone Ive ever worked with in a business capacity.
It was never a strategic thing.
They just said, Is that something that youre comfortable doing?
and we would just go, Duh, of course it is.
Being strategic about how were presented in the world is not something that we personally have ever done.
Its kind of anathema to whats interesting or important to us, which is playing music.
Im not saying that doesnt happen on earth, but its not something weve ever dealt with.
The majority of my songs are about my girlfriend or my ex-girlfriend, and I use female pronouns.
All the pop stars were almost sexualized, and that wasnt my vibe.
And I dont feel like Im branded as G Flip: queer artist.
I do have quite a big queer following, but Ive never seen it brought into my marketing.
It wasnt a source of oppression so much as it was a source of commodification.
Ive brought that more forward in my projects in my social media.
Its being brown as well as queer.
Its finding power and liberation in being a queer femme.
