Pride Millennial Edition

Millennials were exposed to arguably some of the best LGBTQ positive music of all time but that's just my opinion. I'm thrilled to see most artists today are allies and are wildly supportive of the community. It is a welcome change! We have a special appreciation for all these artists and genres that are paving the way into the future and especially the artists that came before our generation. As a Millennial, I want to share my experience with the top 10 Pride playlist for the 25-39 year age range. Happy Pride Month!

Vogue by Madonna

We were lucky this was released at the beginning of our generations music awareness. The song was a much needed support for intersectionality within the LGBTQ community and still remains one of the biggest songs with that purpose since its release. There are correct arguments about this being cultural appropriation though. Some will argue it was stolen from underground artists of color and others will say she was trying to honor those artists. In any case, when this came out, it had a gigantic positive impact for the queer community. This is a must for any Millennial Pride playlist. It's not cliché to admire the greats!

Believe by Cher

Another obvious song to have on a Millennial Pride playlist. Cher's Believe was on every gay radio in every gay club on the planet. She made the song specifically for her alphabet fan base so they would have something to dance to. It turned out to be one of her biggest hits of all time and one of the most successful songs worldwide. It's also the very first song to feature Auto-tune which changed music forever. Remember, not cliché!

Come To My Window by Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge is a lesson in Pride. She came out with this song as she came out to the world. She proved you could be successful and be yourself. She was surprised to learn that it was such a popular song with her fans and that she would win a Grammy for best female rock vocal performance. She almost didn't include it on the new album she was releasing. But, she ended up cementing herself as an icon with it and enjoyed a spot on the Billboard top 100.

Perfect by P!nk

This was P!nk's song to her fans struggling with their identities. Her fans who are bullied. She was singing to the people contemplating suicide because of how they've been treated and degraded by society. The message she was trying to convey was for everybody to accept each other for who we are. It was a much needed anthem for this part of the community. P!nk has always been a huge supporter of the LGBTQ community and this is just one example.

Wannabe by Spice Girls

Listen....whatever. I don't care what you say, Spice Girls were a huge thing for LGBTQ teens in the 90s. I don't make the dang rules. They were huge supporters of the community and even changed lyrics of their own songs to make them more open to their fanbase. I couldn't imagine this playlist without them being on it.

Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

This was a groundbreaking song and music video for the LGBTQ community. This was at a time when so many had tried and failed to push for equality. During this time period, there were so many reasons to not want to continue on. This was a helping hand to the community. It's not just the song title that is beautiful about this.

I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry

This is 100% self explanatory. It's a bop. It's totally gay. It's got an awesome beat. Her vocals are off the charts. Katy Perry is a big supporter of the LGBTQ community and has expressed that many times in many different ways. This particular song lit up the globe and everybody danced along to a song about two women kissing. She made a huge wave! Therefore, she must be on this playlist.

Born This Way by Lady Gaga

This song was the first of its kind. It is in your face, proud, loud and beautiful. It is mainstream. It is widely popular and sparked a global movement. This particular message had been debated to death in this country and this became a rallying cry. I firmly believe she was one of the most instrumental pieces to the puzzle of legalizing love in The United States. I can't thank her enough for that amazing work and her unapologetic belief in equality.

King For A Day by Green Day

Many may not know this but Green Day is a huge supporter of equality. Since the band has a Bisexual member, they fully embraced their Alphabet fan base and on many occasions defended their views from their own concert crowds. I felt they should be on this list because they were a big presence in the Millennial music-scape and this song was important for my own teen years.

Run The World (Girls) by Beyoncé

Beyoncé is not only one of the biggest feminist artists out there with all of her huge hits about female empowerment but she is a staunch LGBTQ advocate. On several occasions she has stood up at the exact right time for the community and made a real difference. Queen Bey has created more LGBTQ anthems than I can list. She must be on every Millennial Pride playlist.

I didn't want to make this too long because I could keep going but I think this is a great representation of our generation and I wanted to get in as many different artists as I could in a list of 10. I also chose to stay mainstream because these are big artists who made big waves for the community on several occasions. They were invaluable to the success of LGBTQ equality and civil rights legislation in recent years. So, hats off to Millennials and big open arms to the whole gang out there. Happy Pride Month! Be safe, spread love and find your joy.