Diversity Rules Magazine

18 Diversity Rules Magazine November 2019 Tony Guadagni- no is a market- ing consultant. Located in New Jersey, his cli- ents are based across the coun- try, focusing on social media to build their presence on the internet. He studied crea ve wri ng in col- lege and is currently working his first novel on the subject of bullying. He lives with his partner Mark. To conclude my final part on Gay Icons (Part 9), let's look at some of modern performers who are head- ing to the stratosphere of Gay Icons. The first person who comes to mind is Stefani Joanne Angelina Ger- mano a, professionally known as Lady Gaga. Before her big break in show business, Lady Gaga used to perform in Drag Bars and Gay Clubs regularly. (Note: When she was filming A Star Is Born, she told director Bradley Cooper of her early days of perform- ing, and the character of the show was re-wri en to be performing at drag bars to recreate the feelings of an undiscovered ar st.) When she From her breakout in 2008, Lady Gaga be- gan as a modern day Madonna, with shocking out- fits (the meat suit) and outrageous stage presence (coming from an egg), as well as humongous chart topping tracks like "Poker Face" (I just love that one) and "Just Dance." Her 2011 monster hit "Born This Way" sold over 1 million copies within five days, earning the Guinness World Record for the fas ng selling single on iTunes; in addi on, it debuted at #1 and became the 1,000 number one single in the history of Billboard Hot 100 charts. Calling it her "freedom song, " "Born This Way" has become the American anthem for the LGBT community. Lady Gaga has forever been a supporter of the LGBT community. She had donated thousands (if not mil- lions) to chari es, and has a ended a significant number of events, concerts, and rallies in support of us. At the50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Ri- ots in New York in June 2019, she said proclaimed the following: "True Love – true, true love – is when you would take a bullet for someone. And you know that I would take a bullet for you any day of the week." Kylie Minogue, who started out as a 1980s popstar, reinvented her musical career in the 21st century, and in doing so, she found an increasing gay fan base. Kylie first discovered she had a gay following back in the 1980s, when she witnessed several drag queens performing to her music. She was quite touched by the inclu- sion that it encouraged her to begin performing at gay venues through- out Australia (her base), and the world. She later became the headline at the Sydney Gay and Les- bian Mardi Gras. She was quoted as saying: Gay Icons By Tony Quadagnino

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