It is not new the fact that people belonging to the LGBT group suffer from inequality, discrimination and even violence. Although there are lots of people that accept and respect homosexuals, there are many others who do not tolerate love between two individuals from the same sex. Fortunately this situation is changing and everyday more and more people are opening their minds and approving that there are people who have different opinions and want to leave their sexuality in another way. I consider that anybody has the right to judge and mistreat another person because his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.
LGBT struggle to gain the acceptance and respect of the society is a very talk about subject. In the past, this theme was taboo but throughout the years it expanded and had wider significance. One of the reasons because this topic spread so much could be thanks of the artists who are involved with , and serve as agents to raise awareness of this issues among people. An example of it is Elton John , he has been openly gay since 1988 and he is the singer of the song “All the young girls love Alice” referring to a gay character and it tells the tragic story of a young lesbian who died in the streets:
“ Come over and please me
Alice it's my turn today
All the young girls love Alice
Tender young Alice they say
If I give you my number
Will you promise to call me
Wait till my husband's away
(…)
Getting your kicks in another girl's bed
And it was only last Tuesday they found you in the subway dead”
In these lines we can notice all the pain and soreness that Alice suffered throughout her short life , and in her case she had the worst final.
Another song that is based on a homosexual character is “An Englishman in NY” by Sting , it is about a famed gay author Quentin Crisp and his experiences as an outcast:
“It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
(…)
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run”
Here, we can observe how the character felt , full of anguish he considered himself an alien that did not belong to that place , but in spite of this he claimed to be oneself and have a strong personality no matter what society says.
The song “Where the streets have no name” by U2 is not made specially for LGBT society but it can suit with it perfectly:
“I want to run, I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside
I wanna reach out and touch the flame
Where the streets have no name”
Reading this lines we may have the impression of a person belonging to the LGBT community trying to escape and flee from the contempt and discrimination coming from society.
In conclusion, it seems that the songs mentioned above share a similar message, to respect everybody, no matter about their elections, because before being homosexual , lesbian , gay , heterosexual , transsexual we are people , our sexual orientation do no define us. We do not know how the other person feels or is enduring in his or her personal life, so we must be always kind and respectful with everyone. If we understand and put it into practice we would evolve as a society and grow as individuals.
Sources:
[Felipe Conti].(2013, May 26).Elton John - All The Young Girls Love Alice [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea95D2VJ7OU
[StingVEVO] .(2011, Jan 11). Sting - Englishman In New York [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d27gTrPPAyk
[mirabell214].(2009, Jul 8). U2: Where The Streets Have No Name [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FsrPEUt2Dg
http://www.songfacts.com/
