Black Music Sunday: Celebrate Black Music Month and pioneering LGBTQ+ musicians

The month of June marks two notable celebrations: Black Music Month, also known as African American Music Appreciation Month, which was created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979; and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month.

From the turn of the 20th century and into the rise of the recording of Black musicians, the chitlin’ circuit, and beyond, there were Black musicians who were openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In recent years, the advent of research into LGBTQ+ history has reversed decades of erasure of the Black community, and Black women in particular. We now know much more about the lives of the artists who laid the foundations for so many of today’s popular music genres.   

So let’s kick it off with some of the groundbreaking Black female musical artists who were LGBTQ+. Some will surely be familiar names, while others may be new to you.

”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 200 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.