10 legendary gay icons and how they earned their titles

Freddie Mercury

Speaking of divas, here’s a male diva whose legacy will never be forgotten.

Freddie Mercury never publicly confirmed that he was gay, but instead, playfully joked about it for years. He may not have been “out of the closet” but he was always fearless on stage and in music videos. He wasn’t afraid of sequin bodysuits, deep plunging necklines, bright colors, or feathers.

He also wasn’t afraid to show off his feminine side. In the music video for Queen’s “I Want To Break Free,” Mercury and the rest of the band all appear in drag. Mercury also appears in drag in the music video for “The Great Pretender.”

Many claimed that Freddie was open about his sexuality to those close to him, and just didn’t talk about it in the media. In Somebody to Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury, the authors note that when Mercury reportedly told Mary Austin, a woman he’d call the love of his life, that he was bisexual, she replied, “No Freddie, you’re gay.”

Mercury had relationships with men as well as women, and was rumored to be a bit of a “scene queen” in London. It seems like it was always a really badly kept secret, or that everyone knew and chose not to care.

The singer was always in on the joke, and he didn’t care what people thought of him. He had one of the greatest voices the music industry has ever heard, and a stage presence that is unparalleled (sorry Adam Lambert, we still love you), and the fact that he was able to be as iconic as he was while being as flamboyant as he was is truly a testament to his talent.

What’s unfortunate is that one of the biggest queer voices in history left us so soon. Mercury died at the age of 45 of AIDS-related illnesses, after having only revealed to the media that he was suffering from AIDS the day before. There’s comfort, at least, in knowing that he will forever be immortalized as not only a gay icon, but a music icon.