Kansas City Playlist: Local LGBT Renaissance Despite MAGA?!?

Just a bit of irony for only the most dedicated late night TKC readers . . .

Even amid a week of stadium drama, political intrigue and very important crime news . . .

Some of our most popular TKC post have been on the topic of LGBT pride and local celebration.

And so . . . 

It's our job to give the people what they want . . . 

And from what we can interpret . . . TKC readers simply enjoy pondering the cowtown LGBT discourse. 

Not that there's anything wrong with that . . .  

Accordingly, we thought our readers would appreciate one last taste of PRIDE . . . 

Just for the late night we share a quick collection and just a bit of backstory on some of our favorite LGBT anthems that echoed thorough midtown streets today . . . In fact, despite fewer sponsors and political backlash, we're hearing word that this year's KC pride fest was bigger & better than ever.

In fact . . . 

Despite the rain, organizers claim that KC pride was "thriving" in 2025.  

Here's the www.TonysKansasCity.com spin . . .

Let's start with a bit of history and a great passage regarding an iconic track . . . 

"Pudgy and balding at 27—his age when “Bitch” was released—he never exuded even a Liberace level of allure. The notion that he was somehow trying to telegraph his orientation to the gay world seems like another journalistic overreach. In any case, divining whatever impact it may have originally had is harder in hindsight. “Bitch” has been repurposed relentlessly over the years. Tina Turner—John’s costar in the 1975 film adaption of The Who’s Tommy—soon adopted the song and made it her own. In 2008, right-wing pundit Jim Quinn introduced a segment about Hillary Clinton by playing a clip of the chorus. And John himself has sung “Bitch” with artists as disparate as Rihanna, Billy Joel, and the unlikely choir of Cher and Joan Rivers. And thanks in part to the song’s title becoming part of the pop-culture lexicon—not to mention some extra mileage from Alien 3, whose trailer used “The bitch is back” as its tag line—the word “bitch” doesn’t have quite the shock value that it once did."

This classic from George Michael mostly lives in the memory of rapidly aging Gen Xers. It's cynical and moody but also very dancable . . . Freedom 90 might not be an LGBT anthem anymore but even a great many straight dudes over 40 somehow know all the words.

We added in this track from Lil Nas X for a few reasons . . . First, it's not quite an LGBTQ anthem BUT it's an openly gay song that's eminently dance-able AND it was recently featured on top 40 radio in heavy rotation -- Clearly demonstrating that LGBT "progress" is likely complete inasmuch as the formerly "alternative" lifesytle is now the mainstream and, if anything, the dominant culture in terms of artistry.

Secondly, as a youngster TKC could never fathom an openly gay hip-hop MC. 

Finally . . . We like the subtly of Nas X . . . His LGBT inclusion is a very beguiling hat tip (pause) for the very real divide betwixt middle & upper class LGBT denizens and the growing number of LGBT people in so-called communities of color . . . Real talk: Don't worry, LGBTQ denizens are just as completely unprepared to cope with post-capitalism as everyone else.

Regarding a very recent track from an artist with roots in Missouri . . . Here's an apt backstory quote from Billboard: 

"It’s not easy when the person you love isn’t as accepting of their identity as you are, but on her breakout hit, Chappell Roan dances through the heartbreak. She also attempts to save a lot of time for others who are questioning their sexual orientations with lines like 'You can kiss a hundred boys in bars … Make a new excuse, another stupid reason' and 'You’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.' Spoiler alert: If those lyrics resonate with you, you might be more to the LGBTQ community than just an ally."

Finally . . . We conclude tonight's list with An American standard from Judy Garland . . . Somewhere Over the Rainbow from 1939's The Wizard of Oz was cleverly co-opted by the LGBT community which now completely belongs to them.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.