The Gay in Graphic Design

Gay have always been involved in the field of Graphic Design. Gay people have taken all aspects of art to levels unimaginable. Graphic design has affected gay people both positively and negatively. My intent is to take a journey through generations, and gain a clearer understanding of the gay community through these generations.

The Lost Generation cannot be discussed with out mentioning a great visual from the era. Before Norman Rockwell there was another great visual artist known as J.C. Leyendecker who in fact was idolized by Rockwell himself according to Fullerton Museum curator Richard Smith in the L.A. Times. “J.C. Leyendecker virtually invented the idea of modern magazine design in the early part of the last century.”(Chun) “His lover and lifetime companion was often his subject featured on front pages of magazines across the country and in so many ads of the day including the famous Arrow dress shirt man.“ (Stanford) “He designed 322 covers for the Saturday Evening Post.” (NMAI) “The May 30, 1914 Post Mother's Day cover single-handedly birthed the flower delivery industry, and it created an American tradition.” (NMAI) “In 1905, Leyendecker received what became his most important commercial art commission when he was hired by Cluett, Peabody & Co. to advertise their Arrow detachable shirt collars. Leyendecker created the ‘Arrow Collar Man,’ handsome and smartly dressed; he became the symbol of fashionable American manhood and the first brand in advertising. Through his ads, Leyendecker boosted sales for the company to over $32 million per year, and defined the ideal American male: a dignified, clear-eyed man of taste, manners and quality.” (NMAI) “His Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas covers were annual events for the Post’s millions of readers. Leyendecker gave us what is perhaps the most enduring New Year’s symbol, that of the New Year’s Baby. For almost forty years, the Post featured a Leyendecker Baby on its New Year’s covers.” (NMAI) “All through his career, his favorite model was his companion of 50 years, Charles A. Beach. Beach was a Canadian fan whom Leyendecker met in 1901, and immortalized as the ‘Arrow Collar Man.’” (NMAI)

Some examples of his work are found in the public domain:

1907 Collier’s Magazine cover, J.C. Leyendecker.

With regard to typography the word f____t was first printed in Oregon in the book The Vocabulary of Criminal Slang, page 30 found under the word Drag and examples of its usage. The title page states author Louis E. Jackson was assisted by a Detective and the book cost $1.50, a lot of money during this time which was 1913, it is no longer in copy right.

A Vocabulary of Criminal Slang

“The Society for Human Rights is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago. The society is the first gay rights organization as well as the oldest documented in America. After receiving a charter from the state of Illinois, the society publishes the first American publication for homosexuals, Friendship and Freedom. Soon after its founding, the society disbands due to political pressure.” (pbs)

Die Fruendin (The Girlfriend: Journal for Ideal Friendship between Women) was a popular lesbian magazine among lesbians. (Maggie) In fact several gay magazines were published in Germany before the Nazi’s shut them all down. (Leila)

public domain

Gays frequented bars known as “speakeasies” and a “Pansy Craze” emerged in cities across the U.S. during the Prohibition years, which began in this era, gay people found tolerance there. (Okrent)

“Masculine Women, Feminine Men” was a fox trot of the era played by the Savoy Havana Band in 1926.

Masculine Men, Feminine Women

The GI (Greatest) Generation saw “Prohibition was repealed in 1933, ending what was known as the “Pansy Craze by the end of the decade, and gay friendly places were being shut down.” (Valenzuela, Parsons, and Konecny) Still the show went on for famous female impersonator’s of the day including the likes of “Ray Bourbon who was working as a full time female impersonator by 1932, headlining “Frisco’s first pansy show”, Boys Will Be Girls in in 1933.” (Kilph) Ray Bourbon in fact “appeared in gay clubs across the US in the 1930’s and 40’s, notably San Francisco, , and Miami Beach.” (Kilph) Mr. Bourbon modeled dresses in a department store window in 1931, and ultimately performed in his show Don’t Call Me Madam: A Midnight Revue at Carnegie Hall in New York to a sold out audience." (Kilph)

Public Domain Image I found a recording of Ray Bourbon ca. 1936 at Youtube submitted by user NoveltyNoveltyLand who titled it Her First Piece.

Ray Bourbon - My Frist Piece

During this era “Paul Cadmus worked as a commercial artist at a New York advertising agency.” (Smithsonian) His friend “Jared French, another tempera artist who befriended him and became his lover for a time, convinced him to devote himself completely to fine art.” (Grimes) “In 1934, he painted The Fleet's In! while working for the Public Works of Art Project of the WPA.” (Naval)

Public Domain Image

“The , featuring carousing sailors, women, and a homosexual couple, was the subject of a public outcry and was removed from exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. The publicity helped to launch his career.” (Encyclopedia) “Cadmus was one of the first artists to be employed by The New Deal art programs, painting murals at U.S. post offices.” (Smithsonian)

The Silent Generation saw tougher times for the average gay person. One piece of good out of the era was, “One, Inc. v. Olesen 355 U.S. 371 (January 13, 1958) is a landmark Supreme Court decision for LGBT rights in the United States. ONE, Inc., a spinoff of the Mattachine Society, published the early pro-gay "ONE: The Homosexual Magazine" beginning in 1953. After a campaign of harassment from the U.S. Post Office Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Postmaster of Los Angeles declared the October, 1954 issue obscene therefore unmailable under the Comstock laws. The magazine sued. The first court decision (March 1956) sided with the post office, as did the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (February 1957). To the surprise of all concerned, an appeal to the Supreme Court was not only accepted, but citing its recent landmark decision in Roth v. United States 354 U.S. 476 (1957) the Court, in a terse per curiam decision, reversed the 9th Circuit without even waiting for oral arguments. This marked the first time the Supreme Court had explicitly ruled on free press rights around homosexuality. The justices supporting reversal were Frankfurter, Douglas, Clark, Harlan, and Whittaker.”Murdoch, Price) McCarthyism according to the Oxford dictionary is: "A vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950–54. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party.” (McCarthyism) “Homosexuality was classified as a psychiatric disorder in the 1950s. However, in the context of the highly politicized Cold War environment, homosexuality became framed as a dangerous, contagious social disease that posed a potential threat to state security.” (Kinsman) “Many have termed this aspect of McCarthyism “The Lavender Scare”. (Johnson) So to say life was hard for the gay community during this era would be an understatement. Often is the case the one casting doubt is in fact the one with something greater to hide under the mask of religious and/or political beliefs. Before it was all said and done Senator McCarthy himself was later investigated.

I found this link on site provided by user YouWillDeal they’ve titled “1960’s Anti- Gay Lecture For Children” that seems to give one an idea of the mood of the era.

1960's Anti-Gay Lecture For Children

Still gay artists of the era pressed on, in response to a Modern Television Show “Mad Men” about an advertising agency in the 1960’s, David Leddick states: “I was there, as a junior writer, then a senior writer, then a group head through the 1950s, and then a creative director in the 1960s. I went on to become one of the highest-paid creatives in the world through the '70s and '80s.” (Leddick) “I beg to differ on the show's representation of the single gay character, Salvatore, who was fired by the fictional ad agency for being more open about his sexuality.” (Leddick) “Yes, some agencies were like the one where Don Draper works. But these stuffy, old-line agencies were the big ones -- BBDO, J. Walter Thompson, Leo Burnett -- not agencies like Draper's. They were top-heavy with upper-level management from Ivy League schools; they were agencies where women could only be secretaries or work in what was called the "Women's Division" (food, fashion, and cosmetics). In those kinds of agencies, if you were gay, you were probably closeted, like that poor character on Mad Men. But more likely, if you were gay, you didn't stay long at such an agency, as many of the smaller agencies were quite different -- fun agencies to work for, where being gay was not an issue.” (Leddick) “The gay men on staff knew everything there was to know at the time about clothes, interior décor, you name it. I learned a lot. This was the early 1960s; being witty was important then. And let's face it: This was New York, where being gay was hardly a hidden-away phenomenon.” (Leddick) According to his biography “Mr. Leddick later became Worldwide Creative Director for Revlon, and International Creative Director for Loreal. He continues to work today in publishing, and is well known for his novels and homoerotic art books.” (David) I don’t believe this would be the case for everyone but definitely an exception to the rule worth mentioning. (Leddick)

Pop art emerged during this era. Pop art according to the Oxford Dictionary is “Art based on modern popular culture and the mass media, especially as a critical or ironic comment on traditional fine art values.

The term is applied specifically to the works, largely from the mid 1950s and 1960s, of a group of artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns, who used images from comic books, advertisements, consumer products, television, and the movies.” (pop art) One popular gay artist of the movement we’ve all certainly heard of a lot of times only by his last name is Andy Warhol. Great examples of his pop art would be silk screens like "Marilyn diptych" in 1962, and "Campbell’s Soup Cans" later in the 1960’s.

Pop Art and Andy Warhol

So it seems to me that times weren't so hard for everyone of the Silent Generation.

The Baby Boomer Generation, their coming of age was the 1960’s to early 80’s. The era of disco in the 1970’s was a great time for the gay community. Often when the “Queens of Disco” music are mentioned the name Sylvester surely comes up, holding his own among other disco divas of his time like Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor. (Queens) “People still look to me as some sort of spokesman,” Sylvester told New Musical Express in 1982, “but I think my career has transcended the gay movement. I mean, my sexuality has nothing to do with my music. When I’m ——- I’m not thinking about singing and vice versa.” (Fabulous) A lot can be said about Sylvester but as a fan his music really speaks for itself upbeat and carefree, and often a positive message, he did sing soul as well. The song I choose to present is one that still is heard on the radio from time to time, and still burns dance floors anytime there is a high energy or disco night at clubs today.

Sylvester “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” found on youtube posted by user ttt69 titled:

“Sylvester - 1978 - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)”

He shows in part of the video that he is a man (wearing a suit), but even in his subtle entrance he has on what looks like a dress over slacks, then all out dress and feminine glam to the max. His backup singer’s earlier in his career included no less than the Weather Girls (which Martha Wash was one of the member’s) and Jeanie Tracie. Sadly, Sylvester died of AIDS at the age of 41. He had one platinum hit “Dance Disco Heat”, and several gold records. On September 20, 2004, Sylvester's anthem record, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. A year later, on September 19, 2005, Sylvester himself was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievement as an artist. I could not find a source for this so I assume it’s common knowledge.

The next artist of the era I must discuss is Halston the famous fashion designer.

“Halston achieved great fame after designing the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's presidential inauguration in 1961, and when he moved to designing women's wear, Newsweek dubbed him "the premier fashion designer of all America." “He was as good as the people he dressed. Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol. The models Elsa Peretti, Pat Cleveland, Karen Bjornson, Marisa Berenson. Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg, Geoffrey Beene, Lauren Bacall, Princess Grace of Monaco.”

“Halston pioneered a surprising number of fashion innovations. Ultrasuede was one, which he popularized using a second innovation, his famous shirtdress. This easy, simple, sexy garment works with a great many textiles and is still with us. He also popularized the use of cashmere, knitted caped stoles and halter dresses.”“He was also the first designer to realize the potential of licensing himself to Norton Simon, and eventually JC Penney, alienating the ritzy in crowd which saw him as their icon.” (De Zoysa reviewing the book Halston)

We all know what happened next but I’ll just say it laid the groundwork for what designer’s would not want to do which is basically hand your name over to a corporation. He continued designing for family and friends including Liza Minelli. Sadly Halston died of AIDS on March 26, 1990 at age 57. I could not even find a Halston Foundation in a search for one.

You can view Halston and his work at this site Coco & Emma A Celebration of Stylish Living posted Sunday, May 16, 2010 here:

Halston: A Definitive Photo Gallery

Judy Garland is a well known popular gay icon. “Garland died in the summer of 1969. On the night of her funeral a contingent of drag queens and friends were commiseration in a small bar” Stonewall Inn “on Christopher Street in . The police chose to conduct one of their customary raids on the establishment, but patrons, mourning their heroine, were not in the mood to go along quietly. The resulting Stonewall Riots marked a watershed moment in the fight gay and lesbian rights.” (Queers)

You can view a photo from one of the scuffles June 29, 1969 New York Daily News on the front page here:

Stonewall Riots

One gay artist that certainly ruffled some feathers during the Generation X era with his high art was Robert Mapplethorpe.

“In 1973, the Light Gallery in New York City mounted his first solo gallery exhibition, "Polaroids.” Two years later he acquired a Hasselblad medium-format camera and began shooting his circle of friends and acquaintances—artists, musicians, socialites, pornographic film stars, and members of the S & M underground. He also worked on commercial projects, creating cover art for Patti Smith and Television and a series of portraits and party pictures for Interview Magazine.” (Biography) “The resulting photographs are shocking for their content and remarkable for their technical and formal mastery.” (Biography)

I cannot really delve into all the controversies but it involved museum’s rejecting his work, and basically what is obscene and what is not, and also black men that he photographed in the nude being viewed as widely exploitative. “Nearly a year before his death, Mapplethorpe helped found the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc. His vision for the Foundation was that it would be "the appropriate vehicle to protect his work, to advance his creative vision, and to promote the causes he cared about". Since his death, the Foundation has not only functioned as his official estate and helped promote his work throughout the world, it has also raised and donated millions of dollars to fund medical research in the fight against AIDS and HIV infection.” (Biography)

The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation Portfolio

I really had a hard time figuring out what to say about my views about Mapplethorpe. My views on high art is it’s left to the eyes of the beholder, parents of small children concerned about them seeing some of this should be more attentive to what their children are doing in the first place. It’s Mapplethorpe you know he likes what he does, and if you don’t want to view that, then don’t. I’ll end saying I’ve viewed his work and he was a great photographer, his use of black and white predominantly gave his work a classic feel and he definitely knew how to use a great camera greatly.

“Some historians posit that a new era of the gay rights movement began in the 1980s with the emergence of AIDS, which decimated the leadership and shifted the focus for many.” (Percy, Glover) This era saw the emergence of confrontational groups ACT UP the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, Queer Nation, Lesbian Avengers, and Transexual Menace. act up.org

One artist that came of age late in the last era but certainly gained international fame during this era is Keith Haring. Sadly he died at the age of 31. Keith Haring “was an American artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality and war.” Haring's work was often heavily political and his imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century. “Haring's work very clearly demonstrates many important political and personal influences. Ideas about his sexual orientation are apparent throughout his work and his journals clearly confirm its impact on his work. Heavy symbolism speaking about the AIDS epidemic is vivid in his later pieces, such as "Untitled (cat. no. 27)," "Silence=Death," and his sketch "Weeping Woman." In some of his works, including "cat. no. 27", the symbolism is buried – you have to look for it. However, he also produced some blatantly activist works. Silence = Death is almost universally agreed upon as a work of HIV/AIDS activism.” (Haring et al) I remember seeing his artwork for the first time used on cd album covers like “Very Special Christmas” and others which certainly presented it to a large audience. His work is often termed graffiti art but I feel the simplicity combined with the message his work often spoke helped him to reach so many and take it to another level. His artwork is often monotone and uses a strong line and usually evokes some type of movement or enlightenment to a part or parts through what I like to call sparks. He was friends with a wide array of celebrities of the era Andy Warhol, Basquait, and Madonna who he designed a jacket for her Solid Gold debut of her hit song “Like a Virgin.” I found the video posted on youtube site titled “Madonna - Like A Virgin (Solid Gold 1984) “Pink Wig Rare Unedited Clip” posted by user toyahnet. Madonna - Like A Virgin (Solid Gold 1984) “Pink Wig Rare Unedited Clip

“Throughout his career, Haring devoted much of his time to public works, which often carried social messages. He produced more than 50 public artworks between 1982 and 1989, in dozens of cities around the world, many of which were created for charities, hospitals, children’s day care centers and orphanages. The now famous Crack is Wack mural of 1986 has become a landmark along New York’s FDR Drive.” (Bio) Haring’s work can be viewed at his site: The Keith Haring Foundation Keith Haring “Crack is Wack” double sided mural 1986 It is also worth mentioning the music video by Grace Jones “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect for You) featuring segments of Keith Haring in person working on a 60 foot long dress for her to wear by the end of the video. Andy Warhol also appears. To me this represents a great moment in time when several elements of pop culture music, art, video came together to create something really great. David LaChapelle is an American commercial photographer, fine-art photographer, music video director, film director, and artist. A living artist that I really have to say I don’t know where to begin talking about. Alex Sharkey for the Observer says “David LaChapelle's hyper-real and slyly subversive portraits have made him the world's hippest photographer.” (Sharkey) he had “rave reviews for his dance doc Rize have made him Hollywood's hottest director.” (Sharkey) and calls LaChapelle the “’Fellini of Photography’.” “His production design for Elton John's Las Vegas revue The Red Piano - declared '[as] visually stimulating and artistically sound as it is commercial' by Variety, and 'Best Show of 2004' by Las Vegas Review-Journal” (Sharkey) “Over the past decade, LaChapelle's photographs have set new standards for glamorous, celebrity portraiture. He's done more than 150 covers for Rolling Stone, he’s under contract with Vanity Fair, and has shot Madonna, Elton John, Naomi Campbell, Angelina Jolie, Pamela Anderson, Lil' Kim, Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Taylor, David Beckham, Paris Hilton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys to name just a few.”(Sharkey) Notably Britney Spears and Lady Gaga’s debut covers for Rolling Stone. “American Photo recently named him among its 10 most important people in photography. His publisher, Benedikt Taschen, believes LaChapelle is the world's most- popular living photographer. 'He has a huge cross-over appeal. Young people, trendies, sophisticated middle classes, the gay crowd; they all know and like him and his work. No other photographer has ever managed that.’” (Sharkey) I feel there really isn’t much left to say, his work seems to combine elements of pop art and other styles, and he definitely knows how to make a celebrity look their best and the use of tongue in cheek, while everything is laid all out there at the same time, sex sells and he has shown it through his high art over the top everybody looks and feels good presentations. One of my favorites is his stage and video design for Elton John’s Las Vegas show you can watch the entire show at the link below. LaChapelle Studio site presents a Comprehensive resource of David LaChapelle’s full body of work: fine art, commercials, film, and music videos. Lachapelle Studio

This generation witnessed the rise of “Supermodel of the World” Rupaul, Rupaul Charles. Rupaul is known for acting on both television and in films, drag, modeling, author, and as a recording artist. Rupaul has said "You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don't care! Just as long as you call me." (Rupaul) This is what I like about Rupaul and I feel many of her fans would agree, she speaks her mind and we the audience make the decision whether or not we take it or leave it. He was the first to represent a major cosmetics company MAC making him effectively the first drag queen supermodel. His hit single “Supermodel (You Better Work)” received extensive airplay on MTV during the time of grunge and gangsta rap. Rupaul is currently the star of “Rupaul’s Drag Race” on Logo Network. One of my favorite songs is Rupaul “Free To Be” from the documentary “Wigstock” featuring many other famous drag queens of the day, found on youtube website and posted by user: snipandsnap titled “Rupaul — Free 2 Be”. “Rupaul — Free 2 Be”

An artist of the Millennial generation that I would like to discuss is Slava Mogutin, “a New York-based Russian-American artist and writer, exiled from for his outspoken writings and activism. Mogutin's work is informed by his bicultural literary and dissident background, encompassing the themes of displacement and identity; transgression and disfiguration of masculinity and gender crossover; urban youth subcultures and adolescent sexuality; the clash of social norms and individual desires; the tension between attachment and disaffection, hate and love.” (Slava) “A third- generation writer and a self-taught journalist, he soon began working as a reporter and editor for the first independent Russian newspapers, publishers, and radio stations, hailed as one of the foremost voices of the post-Perestroika new journalism and the only openly gay personality in the Russian media.” (Slava) “By the age of 21, he had gained both critical acclaim and official condemnation and became the target of two highly publicized criminal cases, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. He was charged with “open and deliberate contempt for generally accepted moral norms,” “malicious hooliganism with exceptional cynicism and extreme insolence,” “inflaming social, national, and religious division,” “propaganda of brutal violence, psychic pathology, and sexual perversions.” In 1994, Mogutin attempted to register officially the first same-sex marriage in Russia with his then-partner, American artist Robert Filippini. The attempt made headlines around the world, but only further fueled his persecution by the authorities.” (Slava) “Upon his arrival in New York, Mogutin shifted his focus to visual art and started using his nickname Slava—"glory" or "fame" in Russian—as his artist name. His photography and multimedia work have been exhibited internationally, including MoMA PS1 and Museum of Arts and Design in New York; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco; The Pacific Design Center in LA; Station Museum of Contemporary Art in Houston; Museum of Modern Art; Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam; Overgaden Institute of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen; Estonian KUMU Art Museum in Tallinn; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC) in Spain; The Haifa Museum of Art in Israel, and, most recently, Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA).” (Slava) “Mogutin is the author of two monographs of photography published in the US, “Lost Boys" and “NYC Go- Go” (powerHouse Books, 2006 and 2008), and seven books of writings in Russian. In 2000, he was awarded the Andrei Bely Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Russia. His poetry, fiction, essays, and interviews have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies in ten languages.” (Slava) “In 2004, together with his partner, American artist Brian Kenny, Mogutin co-founded SUPERM, a collaborative art team responsible for site-specific gallery and museum shows in the US, Canada, Russia, Israel, and across Europe. In 2011, Mogutin was naturalized as a US citizen and legally changed his name to Slava. He is a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin and his recent anti-gay policies.” (Slava) “In their work, Mogutin and Kenny use all available media and source material, ranging from reclaimed furniture and street art to personal fetish gear, hair, and body fluids. SUPERM installations combine photography, video, sound, text, drawing, painting, , collage, and performance. Using themselves and their friends as models, actors and collaborators, SUPERM creates a multidisciplinary body of work that reaches audiences far beyond the usual art crowd.” (Fornabaio) I can certainly relate to Mogutin’s political stance. I’m sure artists have collaborated before but I think it’s interesting that he and his partner are working together on projects like “Superm”. You can look up “Superm” some of the artwork has male frontal nudity so I chose not to post a link.

Slave Mogutin - Artist Portraits http://slavamogutin.com/artist-portraits/

I like the series of portraits for Whitewall Magazine “The Business Satire of Gilbert & George”. I find his photograph Sebatian Meunier Paris, 2005 particularly interesting. I guess it’s mainly the subject matter and what the guy is wearing.

The next is visual artist Troy Michie. “Troy Michie was a recent winner of the 2013-2014 Queer Art Mentorship program and therefore had the opportunity to work with the artist Geoff Chadsey. Michie obtained his MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2011 and has been actively exhibiting his work since 2007.” (Artist) “His stunning collages and deconstruct the human body and seemingly call into question the notion of the “erotic gaze.” His body of work explores themes such as race, gender, and how a man of color is portrayed in . The subjects are consistently distorted, yet retain a pleasant balance.” (Artist) Some of his artwork can be viewed below.

Artist Spotlight: Troy Michie http://posturemag.com/2014/01/02/artist-spotlight-troy-michie/ I like the first reflected image it just has good balance it is titled “IAN. 2011”. The second one with the cutout of the guy of colors’ head placed below his body I find interesting as well. I guess it’s the abstracting of the human form making the familiar less familiar.

Finally I would like to discuss Lady Gaga. It has been debated whether or not she’s gay or bi, and whether she’s a hermaphrodite, and the subject of various other press. “Lady Gaga is an outspoken activist for LGBT rights worldwide.” (Zak) In 2012 Lady Gaga launched the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF), a non-profit organization that focuses on youth empowerment and issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti- bullying, mentoring, and career development. “She attributes much of her early success as a mainstream artist to her gay fans and is considered a gay icon.” You can watch her video “Applause” on youtube site user: LadyGagaVEVO

Lady Gaga - Applause (Official) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pco91kroVgQ

In my mind this is a good place to close this paper just in the video I present she has combined so many elements of pop culture together it’s just mind boggling and her work ethic results in an amazing final product for us all to enjoy. She has caught flack for imitating Madonna, and being like this and being like that. I believe she fully embraces her pop culture and in her own way she has pulled those elements together to momentarily become Madonna, Cher, Michael Jackson and so many other influences from the visual art world. One certainly can’t say she and her team doesn’t have an idea of what works and what doesn’t.

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