When I consider Gay Icons, should I consider Patti
LaBelle? I am going to confess that I
have never really followed Labelle & I have none of her music in my
collection, even when I have enjoyed seeing her on TV, even if she scares me a
bit.
I need to reconsider Labelle. The Grammy-winning diva has
survived 45+ years in the music industry while never losing support from the
gay community. LaBelle: "That's why
I think I'm still in this business," she explains, "because my gay
following keeps me going. I'm every gay man's mother—come and sit on mama's
lap! It ain't no sugarmama stuff either… they just really connect. Maybe
because I looked like a drag queen back in the day & I still can go there
if I want. When I wore those outrageous hairstyles, I guess they said, ‘She's
really out.’ I'm not a gay woman; I'm just a woman who loves people.”
“Gay people, they can keep you in style. You better have
a queen up there in that closet, honey. Trust me: It's not that only gay people
have style. I'm straight & I have style. I can dress myself, but it's good
to have a queen with a great eye. Most straight men can't do hair, they can't
do makeup & they can't be a stylist. I don't know if there are any lesbian
stylists, but it's usually men who want to emulate a woman. I know some of my
gay friends, they make their faces up & they put on drag. Like RuPaul: you
can’t find a woman that looks as good as RuPaul... not many! So they practice
what they preach. That's why, honey, if you say a straight man is coming to do
my hair or my face…leave them home!”
LaBelle turns 68 years old on this day- May 24th.
Today also marks the birthday of Bob Dylan, turning 72 today, who is decidedly
not gay, or in any way a Gay Icon, but a favorite at Post Apocalyptic Bohemia.
So I have paired them together, LaBelle doing Dylan:
Not to mention the other Labelle gay connection- that Nona has lived with Vikki for 35 years.
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