Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way': The New Gay Anthem?

'Anything she says, I think, will always be the gay anthem,' says comedian Gabe Liedman.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga
Photo: Larry Busacca/ Getty Images

With lyrics like "Don't be a drag, just be a queen" and "No matter gay, straight or bi/ Lesbian, transgendered life/ I'm on the right track, baby/ I was born to survive," it's clear that Gaga is singing for those in the LGBT community who feel disenfranchised on her new track "Born This Way." Perhaps it was no mistake that Gaga debuted the club-friendly track on a Friday, the day many people head out on the town.

So, as those in the LGBT community make their Friday night plans, MTV News found out what some prominent professionals in the community think about the track and got their answers to the question: Is this the new gay anthem?

"Typically, gay anthems have been chosen by gay people, not for gay people. The explicitly pro-gay sentiment is something relatively new to major-label pop (especially major-label pop launching a much-anticipated album by arguably the most relevant pop star in the world right now)," explained Rich Juzwiak, author of the pop-culture FourFour blog.

"I have mixed feelings about the conflation of activism and marketing inherent in a piece of commerce like 'Born This Way,' but ultimately, I think Gaga's heart is in the right place. It's pretty bold of her, while at the same time being utterly beneficial to her career and exposure."

Logo's NewNowNext.com editor John Polly noted that the song has all the right elements to be adopted as the anthem for 2011. "Its big, it's loud, it's fun!" he said. "It sounds like someone mashed up a zillion mirrors in a drag queen's closet and then shot it out of a sequin cannon ... subtle! Subtle!

"This one has more [gay anthem elements] than most," he continued. "It calls out every color of the rainbow, like specifically, vocally. Everything's in there. It's got it all and it's got a beat. It's familiar, but it's new. It's Gaga. She's got something in there for everyone, so hopefully people are into it ... I think you're getting a lot of bang for your buck, a lot of big gay noise that's going on."

Gabe Liedman, comedian and pop-culture expert, described the track as "perfect" and admits that Gaga has it locked up, that is until she releases her next track off the May album of the same name. "I mean, she didn't waste any time with poetry," he teased. "She kind of got right to the point. It's not subtle. There's no misinterpreting it. That's what she thinks: You're born this way, born this gay!

"I think this will be the gay anthem for as long as it takes before her next song comes out," he joked. "And that will be the gay anthem and then anything that comes out after that. Anything she says, I think, will always be the gay anthem, until she dies."

Do you think "Born This Way" is the new gay anthem? Let us know in the comments!

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• Lady Gaga

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657772/lady-gaga-born-this-way.jhtml

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