7 Surprising Facts About Gay Singers from the 80s

The mighty 80s witnessed the intangible shift that set into motion a change in how LGBT+ culture was represented in mainstream culture, especially in the United Kingdom. That shift came from the new music of gay singers. More particularly it came from the release of two pivotal records, Bronski Beat's "Small Town Boy" and Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax". The two songs answered the questions of what it means to be a gay man in those times. I would like to take you back to the 80s by providing a few fun facts about some gay singers that achieved fame during those years.

Freddie Mercury - English Singer, Songwriter, and Record Producer

Rumours say that Lady Diana once visited Royal Vauxhall Tavern, which is a legendary South London gay bar. She attended the bar disguised as a man, with Freddie Mercury, comedian Kenny Everett and actor Cleo Rocos. Apparently, the Queen's lead vocalist himself insisted that Princess Diana should be dressed as a male model. So, they dragged her up, gave her in an army jacket, a cap, and sunglasses and then headed out to have fun. It all started when the three were hanging out one day, drinking champagne and watching Golden Girls reruns. 

George Michael - English Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, and Philanthropist

On Boxing Day 2016, the day after George Michael passed away, TV presenter Richard Osman tweeted that the gay singer donated £15,000 to a contestant on "Deal Or No Deal" for her IVF treatment. The woman contestant appeared on the successful TV show hoping to raise £15,000 to pay for IVF treatment, but unfortunately, she lost. George Michael watched the show, secretly phoned the next day, and arranged with the TV show crew to give her the money.

Elton John - English Singer, Songwriter, Pianist, and Composer

The iconic gay singer is a godfather to several famous kids, and as of now, he has ten godchildren. Elton John was friends with John Lennon, and he is the godfather to his first godchild, Lennon's son Sean Ono Lennon. David and Victoria Beckham, the soccer superstar and the former Spice Girl, have also trusted Elton with their prole. Last but not least, model and actress Elizabeth Hurley's son, Damian is part of the team too. That's a lot of birthdays to remember for Elton!

Morrissey - English Singer, Songwriter, and Author

Morrissey was very active in the mighty 80s as the frontman of the rock band the Smiths. Since then, he has had worldwide fame, but not many of his fans are aware of his love for soap operas. Strangely enough, the gay singer might be vocal about his disdain for his home city of Manchester, but at the same time, he adores the cobbled streets of Coronation Street. Moreover, he even asked if he could write for Corrie. So, watch out for his name in the credits at the end of the next episodes! His ties with soaps don't end there, he has had a small cameo on Brookside and turned down appearances on Emmerdale and EastEnders.

Lou Reed - American Musician, Singer, Songwriter, and Poet

Despite publicly identifying as gay in 1970, Lou Reed yet went on to marry three women. Indeed, his bisexual private life was a lot more gay, especially in the 1980s when he was a regular at the famous New York gay bar Ninth Circle. Not many know though that the Lou Reed had a faux-wedding to his transsexual partner, Rachel Humphreys, in 1977. Rumours say that Rachel had been contemplating gender reassignment surgery, but Lou was adamantly opposed to any operations. Apparently, it was a growing source of conflict in their relationship.

Boy George - English Singer, Songwriter, DJ and Fashion Designer

After battling drugs, and even being arrested for it and going to rehab in 2005, the gay singer seems to now be living a very healthy life. Boy George is currently a vegan and a practising Buddhist. He chants every day, and that helps to get centred and to put things in perspective. Thinking back at his career beginnings with the band Culture Club, Boy George claims his troubled past was the cause of him feeling overwhelmed as one minute he was a club kid, the next minute he was famous all over the world.

Holly Johnson - English Artist, Musician, and Writer

According to Holly Johnson, best known as the lead vocalist of the British band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the idea of "relax, don't do it" came to him one day in winter 1982, when he was late for rehearsals and was walking very quickly to get to the studio. The lyrics are relatively ambiguous, although the line "When you want to come" is a reference to orgasm. Funnily enough, in America, any sexual innuendo contained in this song got little attention, but it caused plenty of controversy in England, and the majority of the national radios refused to air the song.