10 legendary gay icons and how they earned their titles

Bette Midler

The Marvelous Miss M is a true gay icon for many reasons, from her foul, unrestrained mouth to her heavenly singing voice. But there’s a reason she’s called Bathhouse Betty!

After relocating to New York City in the ’60s, Midler started her career on Broadway, but it wasn’t her Broadway roles that got the gays going crazy for her (though that’s part of the reason why they love her now). In the summer of 1970, she earned her gay icon status when she started performing at a popular gay bathhouse in New York City. (Gay bathhouses are saunas where gay men go to have sex, in case you didn’t know.)

Accompanied by her pianist Barry Manilow, who she became very close with, Midler would light up the stage with her big voice and her even bigger personality. She quickly became a sensation in the New York gay scene, and once you’re big with the gays, you know you’re on way.

Midler spoke fondly of those days when she released her album Bathhouse Betty in 1998: “Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I’m still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of ‘Bathhouse Betty’ with pride.”

Over the years, Bette Midler has remained a gay icon after a string of iconic movie roles (Hello, Hocus Pocus!), stage roles — most recently appearing on Broadway in the revival of Hello, Dolly! — and for still being a firecracker who isn’t afraid to speak out about what pisses her off, such as the current political climate in the U.S. You just can’t keep Bathhouse Betty quiet!