Today, I am asking you and the rest of ATRL to help me in the wake of recent events.
In case you weren't aware,
a mass shooting occurred last night in the LGBT+ club "Pulse" in Orlando, which specifically targeted LGBT+ individuals in an act of horrific homophobia. Despite the many progressive achievements secured by LGBT+ individuals across the world, such as the legalisation of same-sex marriage in multiple nations, LGBT+ individuals continue to face oppression on a global level, from vitriolic comments made by prejudiced groups of people to the actual stoning of suspected gay individuals; the events in Orlando are yet another example of the awful amount of homophobia still present in the world.
It's time to make a change.
Music is one of most creative forms present in human society; music can make you laugh, it can make you cry, it can make you full of joy. And it's one of the most important tools at our disposal for social change. Let's come together and use music to send the
right message to the world, LGBT+ and otherwise. By making certain songs reach the top of your nation's charts, you'll be showing people that being yourself is always okay - you'll be helping to show that love will always win. Imagine being a young, confused gay teen in America at the moment. You're already unsure about your sexuality and then you find out about Pulse; naturally, it will lead to this insecurity becoming even worse. But then imagine hearing a song like Express Yourself, or Born This Way, or Beautiful on the radio. How inspiring would that be?
Here's a (still WIP, any appropriate additions are welcome) list of songs that you can stream on Spotify/Youtube or buy to help the cause:
- Born This Way - Lady Gaga
- Express Yourself - Madonna
- Firework - Katy Perry
- Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
- Hair - Lady Gaga
- Bad Kids - Lady Gaga
- I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
- I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
- Fighter - Christina Aguilera
- She Wolf - Shakira
- Halo - Beyoncé
- Love On Top - Beyoncé
- All the Lovers - Kylie Minogue
- People Like Us - Kelly Clarkson
- Invincible - Kelly Clarkson
- Dark Side - Kelly Clarkson
- Heartbeat Song - Kelly Clarkson
- I Want to Break Free - Queen
- Vogue - Madonna
- We R Who We R - Kesha
- Animal - Kesha
Together we can show the world that being yourself is okay. Love will always conquer hate.
English Translation
)