10 legendary gay icons and how they earned their titles

Madonna

There are a few names that immediately come to mind when you think of the term “gay icon” and Madonna is definitely one of them. She’s such a legendary gay icon that a lot of people may not even know why at this point, but it definitely wasn’t an accident.

When Madonna was young and living in Michigan, she was first introduced to the gay community by her dance teacher. He introduced her to nightclubs and gay bars and even encouraged her to follow her dream to New York City. Is anyone surprised that it was a gay man who first saw that spark in Madonna and knew she was destined to be a star?

Once she got to Manhattan, Madonna was a regular on the club scene, which is where she was introduced to the voguing scene, which of course went on to be the focus of one of her biggest hits, “Vogue”. Madonna was bringing a light to the gay community early on in her career, a move that could’ve been career suicide, but instead made her an icon.

During the AIDS crisis in the ’80s, a time when most people were distancing themselves from the LGBTQ community, Madonna stuck by them. She had many friends who were affected by the disease, and of course, she knew it was a cause that was directly linked to her fans. She wasn’t afraid to speak out about the disease that was ravaging the gay community and even donated proceeds from the last American tour date on her Blonde Ambition tour to the nonprofit organization amfAR, dedicated to her friend Keith Haring who died of AIDS.

She has since been a very active voice for LGBTQ rights, including marriage equality and the horrible treatment of LGBTQ people overseas.

Aside from her work towards equal rights, Madonna also earned her gay icon status because of — of course — her music and performances. She wasn’t afraid to embrace her sexuality, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and she gave the gay community music they could dance and sing along to. What more could you ask for?