Outward | From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop Icons

Outward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re
leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade
with Chris Molanphy: Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant
architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a
gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made
rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom. What all of
these LGBTQ artists had in common was bold hitmaking—and fear of
being fully out of the closet. For decades, queer acts topped the
charts while cloaking their true identities and paving the way for
today’s more openly queer stars. For Pride Month, join Chris
Molanphy as he traces the hidden history of queer hitmakers on the
charts—including those that managed to be both out and No. 1,
right up through our modern age of Lil Nas X and Chappell Roan.
It’s a celebration of these artists’ quest to feel… mighty real.
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