R: Yes! Lady Gaga! M: …the icon! Like we have Born This Way which is, literally, the gay anthem. R: Yeah! M: And, you know, when– when this young gay boy sees these two artists, one openly sharing who he is and his own experiences, and the other is someone who is actively promoting gay rights and supporting the community, in general. When that boy sees these artists, it tells that young boy that he is not alone or who he is, is okay… and it’s... just amazing! There’s nothing I can say but amazing! That’s just how music is! It’s amazing! It impacts a life, it changes a life, it empowers a life! And that– pretty much, sums up the massive effects of music to one’s life and its intimate link to empowerment especially with women, with the LGBTQ community– with the young LGBT– young members of the LGBTQ community. And in general, music does play significant roles in uplifting people, reflecting a personality, building a person or... maybe building a personality, and reflecting cultures… and defining conditions. Like what you’ve said earlier, 2020 has been such a crazy and a roller coaster year– a roller coaster of a year! It has been challenging… (which is why) music has become even more relevant and present in these times.
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References: Fitzparick, R. (2017, February 14). The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Alix Dobkin – Living with Laven der Jane/Living with lesbians. the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/04/the101-strangest-records-on-spotify-alix-dobkin-living-with-lavender-janeliving-with-lesbians Hayward, N. (n.d.). Brief overview of protest songs. National Women’s History Museum. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/general/brief-overview-protest-songs Henwood, B. (2017, May 22). The history of American protest music, from “Yankee Doodle” to Kendrick Lamar. Vox. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/12/14462948/ protest-music-history-america-trump-beyonce-dylan-misty Matthews, C. (2020, June 17). Love in abundance: A guide to women’s music. NPR.org. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/2020/06/17/877383217/love-in-abundance-a-guideto-womens-music Palusis, K. L. (2017, April 28). Expression and Emotion in Music: How Expression and Emotion Affect the Audience’s Perception of a Performance. FireScholars-Institutional Repository for Southeastern University. https://firescholars.seu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=honors Tan, J. (2018). LGBTQ+ Representation and Activism in the Music Industry. Backstage Pass, 1(1). Article 13. Retrieved from https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/backstage-pass/vol1/iss1/13
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