Music Monday: Kentuckiana Pride 2013 Edition

This coming weekend, Louisville and the surrounding area will converge upon The Belvedere near the Ohio River for the annual celebration of all things LGBTQ, the Kentuckiana Pride Festival. Yours truly — who is the B and T in that alphabet soup, by the way — will be there to cover the event for Louisville.com, from the parade Friday evening to the festival itself Saturday afternoon.

In honor of the occasion, and in honor of all of the pride festivals happening in June — the month chosen for such events to commemorate the Stonewall riots that occurred in late June 1969 — five selections from artists who are and/or have members who are part of the gay community. Step inside, and let your true colors shine brighter than a thousand suns.

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“Painkiller” – Judas Priest: Speaking of shining brighter than a thousand suns, the metal messiah in this song does exactly that in the title track from the English band’s 1990 album. Frontman Rob Halford came out of the closet in 1998, and is cited as being the first openly gay musician in metal music.

“West End Girls” – Pet Shop Boys: The English electro-pop duo’s have worked with several gay icons, including David Bowie, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue, while their own works — including “It’s a Sin,” “Metamorphisis” and their cover of the Village People’s “Go West” — are examples of their contributions to gay culture.

“Feel It” – Kim Petras: The 20-year-old German electro-pop singer/songwriter is known not only for her music, but for her gender identity; in 2007, Petras gained worldwide attention for transition from male to female, and would undergo gender reassignment surgery in 2008 at the age of 16 as the youngest person in the world to go through the procedure.

“I Want It All” – Queen: Over 20 years ago, frontman Freddie Mercury passed from this mortal coil at the age of 45 from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia, becoming the first major rock figure to die from the disease. In the wake of his passing, the Mercury Phoenix Trust — established April 1992 — has given millions of pounds to further AIDS and HIV research.

“Wild” – Jessie J: Finally, I leave you all with the newest single from the English singer/songwriter, who came out as bisexual — though she never hid the fact from the beginning — in 2011 during a broadcast of the syndicated UK radio program “In:Demand.” Her second album is due out sometime later this year.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Ludovic Bertron.

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