Gays and Prog Rock

As far as openly gay prog musicians in general go, many of them don't advertise it because they feel the audience is already overly critical and analytical about every -other- aspect of their life.  In popular music, a musician with a 'deviant' sexual orientation is usually sold on that selling point, with the music taking a backseat.  For musicians who put music first, it's best to keep the focus on the music and put unnecessary distractions aside.  Ambiguity is much more interesting.  Nothing wrong with giving your keyboardist a playful slap on the ass after a great solo, right?

I would like to somewhat tongue-in-cheek add that many progressive rock frontmen either also embrace the idea of an ambiguous presentation on that front, or maybe they've got the wrong idea of what is expected of a frontman.

I'm actually surprised that this style of music hasn't caught on in the gay community. I've never really cared for music that's typically associated, but prog speaks to me in ways that Cher or Madonna never could.

If you haven't already, you should check out Arena. While none of the members are openly gay, they have a certain... chemistry about them. Many of their lyrics (intentionally or not) speak of issues that members of the GBLT community deal with everyday. And the music itself is totally fabulous as well! 

This song in particular has been very inspirational for me. The idea that it's not a choice, but that we are in fact chosen.  It's one of those songs that makes me proud to be who I am every time I hear it. My gay anthem, you might say.

 

Quoted from wikipedia.